A New Leaf
by I-Heart-Hatake-Kakashi
Summary: 25 years have passed since Neji and Tenten fled from the village. Their kids and the kids of the Konoha 11 are all grown up and it's a whole NEW LEAF village... 3rd part to WIND AND DRAGON & FIVE NOBLE CLANS. 3 of 3
1. New Beginnings

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Clearly, "Hiatus" doesn't quite work for me... but now, I'm not quite back from vacation... I just had a lousy Christmas day, sick in bed (Montezuma's revenge!..lol) but hey, my bad Christmas is my reader's good luck.. here's the 3RD and FINAL installment in the Wind and Dragon and Five Noble Clans series… (**in other words if you haven't read the two pervious ones, this one might seem like it's coming straight out of nowhere**).

WARNING: This one stars mostly just the Konoha 11's children, all grown up (mostly Neji and Tenten's kids; though mostly Hitori)…

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**_**NEW BEGINNINGS  
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Difficult as it was to believe that 25 years had passed since the day Neji and Tenten first fled from the village to escape an undesirable arranged marriage and elope, it _had _in fact been that many years.

As he headed toward the Hokage tower, through the bustling village, Neji couldn't help contemplate just how much had changed in that time. Back then, it had been them, the Konoha 11, as they were still referred to, who had been the students; the "future" of the village. But things were different now; now _their_ children where the ones who held that future in their hands.

The Konoha 11 had achieved much over the years. Of course, Naruto had reached his dream of becoming the sixth Hokage; while Sakura had inherited command of Tsunade's Medical unit. Hinata had become the most commanding Hyuga leader the clan had ever had; abolishing the old ways and finally achieving her father's dream to do away with the cursed mark. Kiba, at her side, had led his own team of genin, before moving on to establish a squad of nin-dog shinobi teams in ANBU. Shikamaru, of course, had become a strategy professor at the academy, before eventually being appointed the Hokage's head advisor, while Temari had become the official Konoha – Suna liaison, but for the Leaf Village now. Chouji and Ino had both led their own genin squads; both of them perfecting their clan's techniques, as well as opening their own chain of flower shops. Shino had also led his own squad; and had even been sensei to Mayuki, Neji and Tenten's only daughter. How the stoic bug-wielder was able to put up with one of Lee's kids though, Neji could hardly fathom; but then, Tenten, Chouji, and Ino had all been senseis to their own mini-Lee, so the Hyuga supposed it wasn't entirely impossible. Lee, for his part, had also led a squad of his own; Ryuuken and Hitori's squad no less.

When he had learned of their assigned Jounin leader, Neji had half pitied his twin sons; he, better than anyone, could imagine what kind of sensei Lee would be. At the same time, however, Neji was glad Lee had been assigned as their genin squad leader; the Hyuga couldn't have imagined a more dedicated and talented instructor for his two boys. In the end, having Lee as a sensei had definitely paid off; at present, Team Lee was widely known throughout the five nations as one of the strongest Leaf squads ever.

In just a short time since their attaining Jounin status, Ryuuken, Hitori and Nara Matsumi had quickly grown to be the present-day equivalent of the legendary sannin. They were known throughout the ninja world as the smartest, strongest, and bravest; though also the most temperamental. Every male in the village, under the age of 25, both feared and envied Ryuuken and Hitori, due to the fact that they all too often sent swarms of their sister, Mayuki, and Matsumi's fanboys into Sakura's infirmary, and also because both twins had inherited the talent, as well as physical appearance of their handsome father; thus resulting in their own fanbase. Jealousy against the twins was also heightened due to the fact that Hitori happened to be very popular with the girls, while Ryuuken was about to marry one of the most beautiful younger kunoichi in the village.

"Oi." The lazy voice of one Nara Shikamaru called out to Neji as the two ran into each other on their way towards Naruto's office.

As Chief Advisor, and Head ANBU, Shikamaru and Neji often came across each other in the Hokage's mansion. But if that wasn't enough, soon the two would also be related by marriage, as Ryuuken was mere weeks away from marrying Shikamaru's only daughter.

"I don't suppose events are as troublesome in your house as they are in mine?" Shikamaru exhaustedly asked; looking more disheveled and annoyed than he usually did.

"Probably not." Neji shook his head; certain that was more likely than not the truth.

The days following news of Ryuuken's proposal had been hectic; between Hitori's teasing and Tenten and Mayuki's endless questions about the proposal and about what kind of wedding the two would be having. Suna or Konoha; summer or spring; big or small… That was nothing, Neji was certain, in comparison to what he imagined Shikamaru's house was probably like.

"Tch." Shikamaru scoffed. "Nothing more troublesome than women and wedding preparations."

"Hn." Neji smirked, not at all envious of the Nara's position.

Since it wasn't his daughter who was getting married, Neji could not really say he could relate to the lazy genius. Even with his own marriage to Tenten, it hadn't exactly been stressful preparing the wedding. It had been more stressful asking Ryoku for Tenten's hands, and then going through the Hyuga traditions; but that had been nothing compared to escaping from the village and living in seclusion for five years. Of course, neither of those had been as bad as being separated from Tenten when Ryoku's former teammate, Raiden Tekinai, had kidnapped the nearly nine-month pregnant kunoichi.

"You should start preparing yourself as well." Shikamaru warned, in a somewhat teasing tone; unusual for the lazy genius, though frequently occurring when Shikamaru was feeling particularly annoyed and felt like relieving his irritation by annoying someone else.

"Hn?" Neji cocked his head to the side curiously; unsure of what exactly the Hokage advisor was referring to.

Ryuuken was slightly agitated about the big day quickly approaching, but Neji and Tenten were hardly stressed over the matter. As far as they were concerned, Ryuuken and Matsumi had nothing to worry about; the girl had been after the younger Hyuga since the two were nearly infants, so it had not been much of a surprise to either side's parents when the two announced their engagement. Really, it was more surprising that it had taken as long as it had.

"I mean Mai-chan." Shikamaru smirked; knowing Neji had missed the inference the Nara had been trying to make.

"…" Immediate, Neji visibly stiffened at the remark, before expertly quelling his rising rage at the insinuation his lazy friend had just made.

"She's nineteen years old now, isn't she?" Shikamaru asked; though he already knew the answer; Mayuki was exactly four years and four days younger than Matsumi. "Won't be long before you're in my position I'm sure." He continued probing for a reaction from the stoic Hyuga.

"Hn." Neji grunted; no desire to reply to his friend's obvious goading. Besides, with Ryuuken and Hitori constantly scaring way Mayuki's fanboys, Neji was certain there would be nothing to worry about for a very long time; after all, he trained them well…

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"Stop that." Ryuuken glared angrily at his best friend, Uzumaki Minato.

"Huh?" Minato turned over to look at the glaring Hyuga. "Stop what?" He asked in a serious tone.

"You're too old for her." Ryuuken sternly repeated the same warning he always gave his friend; their long standing friendship being the sole reason the Hyuga even considered advising the Hokage's son to refrain from bothering his little sister, rather than sending him to the infirmary like he and Hitori usually did with Mayuki's potential suitors.

"Yeah." Uzumaki Jiraiya eagerly nodded from across the table. "But she's only two years younger than me." He added, agreeing in part with Ryuuken, though solely out of interest. Jiraiya, himself, was only one year younger than his eldest brother, so the argument was rather flimsy.

"You're too stupid for her." Ryuuken countered; sending the entirely living room area of the Hyuga house into an uproar of laughter.

"fhh." Jiraiya grunted; not quiet clever enough to counter the eldest Hyuga twin's insult.

"Mayuki-chan!" Rock Daisuki politely greeted his girlfriend's best friend, and younger brother's teammate and secret crush; walking over to help the girl as the youngest Hyuga approached the group of boys with a tray of refreshments and snacks.

"Thank you Daisuki-kun." Mayuki smiled gratefully as the older boy took hold of the tray in her hands.

"So Mayuki-chan," Daisuki warmly smiled down at the petite girl as the two walked over to the other guys.

"Yes?" She looked up expectantly as the two got closer to the group of five.

"Have you accepted a date for the wedding yet?" The older boy innocently asked.

"Um…" Mayuki hesitantly eyed her two brothers, who had both turned toward her upon hearing their friend's question. "Well, since Kei-chan is going to be going with you, and Atsui-chan is going with Hisoka-kun, I suppose I will probably just go with Emi-chan." She offered.

"Sorry, no can do." Jiraiya interrupted, as he stood up to snatch a cupcake off the tray Daisuki was holding.

"Sasuke-kun will be asking Emi-chan to the wedding." Minato added for his younger brother, as Jiraiya stuffed his face with the cupcake.

"Yeah." Jiraiya nodded. "But I'm avail-" He began; before being smacked in the back of the head by Hitori.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Hitori reprimanded; though everyone in the room knew the hit in the head was not because the middle Hyuga had a problem with Jiraiya talking with food in his mouth.

"What about Chika?" Shinemuri curiously asked from beside his white-eyed best friend, as Hitori stretched out his arm to grab a cup of green tea off the tray.

"Chika?" Mayuki repeated; a knowing smile hidden in her eyes as she turned to look at the younger Nara. "Well she doesn't have a date." She informed the older shinobi; knowing that Chika had had a crush on the older boy for the longest time and was planning to ask him to the wedding. "But she will." She assured him; knowing that once Akimichi Chika set her mind on a goal, nothing would stop her from achieving it.

"Anyone in particular?" Hitori asked; teasingly looking over at his lazy best friend, whom he happened to know had had a crush on the blond kunoichi as well.

"You'd have to ask her." Mayuki replied; joining her older brother in smiling teasingly at Shinemuri, who merely shrugged as if the matter had nothing to do with him whatsoever.

"Whatever." Shinemuri yawned, before lazily taking a cupcake off of the tray Daisuki had set down on the table in front of them.

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"CHIKA!" Nara Matsumi gasped as she pulled out the sheer night-gown out of the gift-wrapped box her best friend Akimichi Chika had just given her.

"What?" Chika curiously eyed her blushing best friend. "Don't tell me you and Ryuuken haven't…" She lecherously smirked; always having suspected as much.

Hyuga Ryuuken was from the most aristocratic and traditional clan in the village. His parents on his mother's side also seemed as conservative as the Hyuga clan; though that was hardly surprising since it was rumored that Xiu-Juan was a princess from a foreign land, and the former ANBU head Furi-iki Ryoku was also from a once noble clan of the Leaf Village. It was, thus, no surprise to Chika that Ryuuken would be the conservative type, considering his upbringing and lineage. It would also explain the 'Terror Twin's' deeply conservative desire to prevent poor Mayuki from ever dating any boy in the village.

"Chika!" Matsumi's blush deepened further still at her best friend's question.

"Matsumi!" Chika playfully echoed her friend's tone. "Well?" She pressed; watching as Matsumi wrapped the sexy lingerie back into its box.

"Ryuuken is…" Matsumi hesitated; her blush, a rarity in itself, increasing to unknown shades of red. "He's very traditional." She finished.

"Yeah I figured." Chika nodded; thinking back to her pervious considerations. "Though that doesn't really explain Hitori-san." She mused aloud.

"Yeah." Matsumi nodded in agreement; understanding perfectly well exactly what it was her best friend was referring to.

While in many respects Ryuuken and Hitori were near identical, personality-wise, the two twins couldn't be any more different than night and day. They shared their overprotective brotherly-love toward their younger sister Mayuki, and both had terrifying tempers, but when it came to socializing or their sense of humor, or even the way they stood and carried themselves, Ryuuken was much more serious and stoic, while Hitori was more approachably friendly and talkative. And while each Hyuga had a hoard of fangirls vying for their attention, Hitori's far outnumbered his older bother's by at least two-fold. This, of course, was in part due to the fact that Ryuuken had not been 'available' for a very long time; unlike Hitori, who, to that day, had yet to find one girl whom he actually liked enough to call his girlfriend.

In all the years Chika had known the twins, Hitori had never been serious about any one girl; though he had never denied any girl brave enough to confess to him, a singular date. But past one date, the ANBU had yet to accept a second; always ending each date by thanking the girl for a wonderful time and asking that she always remain his 'friend;' thus providing a polite, yet clear, sign that he was simply not interested in pursuing any further romantic relationship with that particular girl.

Rather than discouraging the fangirls, however, this only seemed to add more fuel to the fire. Each girl hoping that _she_ would be the one girl to finally claim the Firebird-Hyuga's untamable heart…

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**_**TBC…  
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**Author's Note**: So… what do you think of the first chapter?... I got to include a little "Konoha 11" generation at the beginning, so I was happy for that (hopefully will be able to do a little bit of that in the next few chapters)…

As you can probably already tell, this story's mostly going to center around Hitori (with a lot of Mayuki and Ryuuken as well of course)… but the storyline itself will be about the wedding.

Since I know a lot of people will have forgotten who each of the kids are… I'm going to make a short little list here…you can also check out their profiles on my homepage (there's PICTURES too)…

Neji and Tenten kids**: Ryuuken **(23), **Hitori **(23), and **Mayuki **(19)  
Shikamaru and Temari's kids**: Matsumi **(23) and** Shinemuri **(22)  
Naruto and Sakura's kids**: Minato **(22),** Jiraiya **(21), and **Sasuke** (18)  
Kiba and Hinata's kids**: Kenji **(18) and** Atsui **(18)  
Chouji and Ino's kids**: Chika **(22) and** Isamu** (19)  
Lee's kids**: Daisuki **(21),** Nao **(19),** Yori **(18), and** Emi **(17)  
Shino's kids**: Kei **(21) and** Hisoka** (18)

**PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW… because something tells me this story is definitely not going to be as popular as most of my others, so a little encouragement would be nice. Thanks. XD**


	2. Wedding Date

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: oh yay! I got reviews! XD… Have I mentioned that reviews make me write faster? ;P … anyway, thanks, glad you all liked the first chapter, hope you continue liking the rest of them. I think this story will be somewhere within 8 to 10 chapters at most (which for a chapter story of mine… is short, though I'd been hoping for only about 3 to 5… but I'm so not good at "short" unless it's a oneshot ;P) Anyway, enjoy the next chapter… I'm leaving for Veracruz tomorrow so who knows when the next update will be… and oh yeah, I'm feeling MUCH better this morning (finally!)

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**_**WEDDING DATE  
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Hitori stealthily made his escape from where his best friend Nara Shinemuri had just been 'confronted' by one, Akimichi Chika. The Hyuga knew his friend had had a crush on the blond kunoichi since the two were children, though Shinemuri was perhaps the last person to ever admit that. Much like his father, the younger Nara believed all women to be too troublesome to be worth the hassle. With the overbearing mother and sister he had, Hitori was hardly surprised by his friend's way of thinking, but at the same time, Hitori slightly envied the guy.

Though he had never had any trouble with the opposite gender, Hitori had never experienced what it was like to feel that which Shinemuri felt for Chika; or what his brother Ryuuken felt for Matsumi. It wasn't that he didn't know what love was, if anything, Hitori knew all too well what it was; or rather, what it was _supposed_ to be. He and his siblings had all grown up with the stories of their parent's star-crossed love and how they had been faced with countless obstacles and had overcome each and every one, leaving them, and their love for one another, stronger for it.

Knowing this, it was not at all surprising that Hitori had difficulty finding anything, or any_one_, who could live up to such an example.

"Haah." Hitori sighed as he closed his eyes and leaned back into a nearby tree; wondering whether or not Shinemuri would be able to gather his courage and ask Chika to the wedding.

"Hi-san?" A familiar male voice called out from beside Hitori.

"Hn?" Hitori turned to see who had called out his name, only to come face to face with his younger cousin Inuzuka-Hyuga Kenji and his three best friends, Aburame Hisoka, Rock Yori, and Uzumaki Sasuke.

"What's up?" Kenji energetically asked. "Aren't you usually playing Shougi with Shinemuri this time of day?"

"Chi-chan showed up." Hitori replied; not feeling any need to explain further than that. (1)

"Ah." Kenji nodded; understanding completely. "Speaking of…" Kenji teasingly smirked at the friendlier 'Terror Twin'; knowing full well that was not something he could do if it had been Ryuuken standing in front of him instead of Hitori. "Did you ever decide on a date for the wedding?" Kenji asked; wondering which, of the many fangirls Hitori had, he would choose to take to his twin brother's beach wedding.

"…" Hitori passively shook his head; indicating that he had yet to decide what he would be doing. "I suppose Hisoka-kun will be taking your sister Atsui-chan, and you'll be taking that cute red-head you've been seeing and I've heard from Minato and Jiraiya that Sasuke-kun is taking Emi-chan, and Yori-kun is still dating that gothic girl, correct?" Hitori asked; though he was fairly certain he knew the answer.

"Hai." Kenji nodded in acceptance.

Hitori had suspected as much. It had dawned on him earlier that if Shinemuri managed to ask Chika out, he would likely be one of the few without a date to the wedding. In fact, the only other people he could think of who would not have a date to the wedding would be Rock Nao and Mayuki.

"I could always accompany Yu-yu." Hitori mused aloud. (2)

"Ah…" Kenji hesitated. The boy clearly had something to say, though he seemed reluctant at the same time. "Speaking of Mai-chan…" Kenji began.

"What about her?" Hitori turned his full attention toward his younger cousin at the mention of Mayuki.

"We saw her a little while ago." Kenji indicated toward the direction where his three other friends waited patiently for the Inuzuka-Hyuga to speak with his older cousin. "She wasn't with her team or any of the girls, and…"

Much like Kenji had expected, before he could even finish explaining, Hitori had taken off running in the direction that the four younger men had come from; in search of his precious baby sister.

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Out of the corner of her eye, Mayuki watched as the group of boys following her continued gesturing for one of the boys to walk up to her. She was fairly certain she knew what the reason for their behavior was, but Mayuki simply wasn't interested. Unlike Hitori, who was constantly searching for his 'perfect match' or Ryuuken who had long since found his, the youngest Hyuga just wasn't particularly interested in dating anyone. It part, she was certain, it had to do with her brothers' and father's constant harassment of any potential boyfriend since as far back as Mayuki could remember; but more than just the desire to prevent needless hospitalization of fanboys, she just wasn't attracted to any of them.

"Mayuki-chan!" A familiar male voice called out from the direction of the small group of boys walking behind the Hyuga girl.

"…" Mayuki turned to find herself facing one of her more persistent, though less obsessive, suitors. "Good morning Minato-san." Mayuki politely greeted the Uzumaki, as he walked towards Mayuki, subtly glaring at the three other boys who had been following the girl.

"Good morning." Minato replied with a brilliantly sincere smile.

If not for the fact that Mayuki saw Minato like one of her brothers (which might have to do with the fact that both he and his younger brother, Jiraiya, were also as overprotective of her as Ryuuken and Hitori), she might have been interested in the older blond. He was definitely handsome; there was no denying that. He was also very smart, like his mother, and as talented in ninjutsu as his father and grandfather, for whom he was named after. Many in the village believed Minato was as likely to be the Hokage as Ryuuken was, though he didn't seem to have the same desire for the position as his father had had. Also like Ryuuken, Minato was far more serious and calm than his younger brother; though he was much more talkative and charismatic than Ryuuken was.

"You look lovely today Mayuki-chan." The ever-charming blond asserted.

"Thank you." Mayuki smiled shyly; she never was good with compliments, always blushing profusely when she received one.

"Shall I escort you somewhere?" Minato asked; eyeing the many boys looking over at the blushing brunette.

"…" Mayuki nodded; unable to speak, certain she might stumble upon her words if she tried. "Arigato." She whispered.

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**_**TBC…  
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**_(1) Chi-chan is Chika's nickname  
(2) Yu-Yu is Hitori's nickname for Mayuki; everyone else calls her Mayuki-chan or Mai-chan.


	3. Fears

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I flip-flopped between this being chapter 3 or chapter 4, but since the ending of the next chapter better segues into chapter 5, and I originally wrote the majority of this chapter before the next one, I decided that this had to be chapter 3… I almost even put the two of them together as one chapter, but I felt that this little scene stood alone well, so I decided to separate it out as it's own… so anyway, the next chapter will be out fast as soon as I can add a little more to it to make it a bit longer...

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

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**_**FEARS  
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"Ryuu." The blond Nara walked over to where her fiancé was sitting at the desk in the Hyuga library. "We should elope." Matsumi plainly stated, as she wrapped her arms around his neck from behind.

As much as he wanted to, Ryuuken knew that was a bad idea.

There was nothing more Ryuuken would have loved to do than leave behind all the wedding planning; even if Matsumi had been the one to take charge of the majority of the preparations, thus taking the heavier burden in the planning. He was tired of dealing with an overworked and over-stressed bride-to-be, and the wedding crazy kunoichi that followed her. Nothing would have made the eldest 'Terror Twin' happier than to run off and escape the madness.

From the beginning, he'd been hoping for a simple small ceremony, but somehow it had grown into a monstrous event. As much as he wanted to accept the blond kunoichi's proposal to run off and elope, Ryuuken couldn't do that to her. He knew how much that day meant to her. She had gone through so much to plan out her dream wedding, and though he knew she was feeling the pressure, he would not deprive her of the moment she sought.

"The wedding is merely a few days away." Ryuuken reasonably pointed out, hoping that might calm the blond down. "And already much has been done to prepare."

"I know." Matsumi dejectedly sighed; slouching into his back.

Clearly, the kunoichi was both exhausted and fed up with everything she had had to endure. Ryuuken couldn't blame her. Both of their mother's, having been best friends for years, had been very enthusiastic about the wedding and had wasted no time in turning what Ryuuken had hoped to be a small affair, into an enormous extravaganza. Matsumi had been more than happy, of course, even insisting on a beach wedding, as it was her dream to walk barefoot through the beach in her wedding dress. But it seemed the closer they reached the wedding date, the more stressed out she became.

Ryuuken wasn't sure what he could do for her.

"Your parents eloped." Matsumi offered, hopeful that that might win her argument for her.

"My parent's had no choice." Ryuuken replied; inwardly amused at the lengths the kunoichi would go to get convince him, though months earlier she would have hated the very idea she was trying to sell.

Something was clearly bothering her, but what it was, he wasn't sure. It was unlike Matsumi to beat around the bush when it came to an issue; she was straight forward and outspoken. That was one of the many things Ryuuken loved about her. She was not a meek or shy girl, like a lot of the other girls; and she wasn't flirtatious or manipulative, like some other girls. She was honest and true; never hiding her emotions even if meant embarrassing herself to get her point across; a strength which Ryuuken was certain he would never be able to possess.

"But don't you think it would be romantic?" She swung herself around his body; gracefully landing into a seating position on his lap, with her arms still wrapped loosely upon his neck. A hopeful smile painted on her sharp, attractive features. "Your mom's parents did it too right?"

"Also out of necessity." Ryuuken remarked; observing the girl to try and see if he could decipher what it was that was truly bothering her.

"fhh." Matsumi pouted; always good at knowing when it was time to surrender.

"Umi-chan." Ryuuken whispered the girl's pet-name into her loose flowing hair, as he wrapped his arms around her waist to bring her closer into his chest. "Do not worry about the wedding anymore. Everything has already been taken care of, and I am certain anything else that needs to be taken care of my mother, or your mother, or even Chika-san, can take care of for you." He tried reassuring the girl.

"umm." Matsumi mumbled; still not entirely convinced.

"Trust me." Ryuuken pushed his nose further into her hair; deeply inhaling his beloved's enticing scent. "Everything will work out perfectly."

"Okay." She nodded in acceptance; though Ryuuken could sense there was still something else she needed to address.

Though he usually wasn't the type to ask someone to tell him something they weren't ready to speak of, Ryuuken could tell that the kunoichi was going to need a push to divulge what was truly bothering her.

"Tell me." He calmly requested.

Anyone else might have thought those two words were a demand, but he knew Matsumi would be able to hear the slight pleading in his tone; he really did want to know what was nagging at her, so that he could help her through it.

"Well," She began; not pretending there was nothing else, but hesitated as she considered how to tell him. It was clear from her averted eyes and reluctance to speak, that whatever was bothering her was something serious.

"Is it the wedding?" Ryuuken asked; certain it had to be something related to that, since it was the most significant event in their lives at the moment.

"…" Matsumi silently nodded, confirming Ryuuken's suspicions.

"You're scared?" Ryuuken took a guess, though not entirely at random.

He too had initially been fearful of the change their marriage would bring to their lives. He had taken much time to think the decision over before finally proposing to the kunoichi; wanting to be certain that it was the correct choice. Matsumi, however, had not had that time. Sure, she might have considered the possibility of their marrying many times in the past years; but she had never sat down to deliberate all the possible effects the decision would have. For her, the possibilities and fears did not truly manifest themselves until the planning had begun. Now that they were closer to the date, it was no wonder than the kunoichi would be nervous.

"Hai." Matsumi meekly replied; her head still bowed low, as if she feared observing his reaction to her fears.

"…" Ryuuken tightened his hold around her waist as he remained silent; waiting for her to continue.

He knew there was more she needed to say, and he didn't want to interrupt her, or place words into her mouth; though he was more than certain he could figure out exactly what it was that she was thinking.

"I'm afraid everything's going to be different." She began; still hesitant in her speech. "What if we…" she paused; understandably afraid of divulging her fears, believing they might wound him. "What if we're making a mistake?" She finally asked.

It stung a little to hear the actual words come out of her mouth, but Ryuuken had been expecting them. That had been one of his primary fears when considering whether to propose or not.

Before, he too had wondered if marriage would ruin what they already had; or whether they would even last. Everyone he knew who had had long lasting relationships had had to endure difficult hardships in the process; but his and Matsumi's relationship had been entirely problem free. Sure, they had had their fights on occasion, but for the most part, everything in their relationship had been perfectly peaceful. It had worried him that perhaps they had not been through enough to know if they would truly last the test of time. But after rethinking the problem, he realized, he was looking a gifted-horse in the mouth. Sure, they had never had problems amongst themselves, but that was because they were that good together.

The stories of his parent's early romance had also been relatively problem free up until they had decided to get married. They had been as perfect for one another as Ryuuken and Matsumi were; never having any problems until outside forces had sent their lives catapulting into chaos. But their relationship had already been established and solid by then. After realizing this, Ryuuken became confident that if it came down to it, he and Matsumi would also be able to withstand any hardship that came their way, just as his mother and father had; _that _ultimately solidified his decision to ask Matsumi to marry him.

"Matsumi?" Ryuuken took his right hand off her waist to cup her chin and bring the kunoichi's face up to see him.

"Huh?" She waited patiently for him to continue; a longing look of hopeful expectation and eager anticipation in her eyes as she paused to see what he had to say.

"Do you love me?" He asked. It was a question he needn't ask, but it emphasized the point he wanted to make.

"More than anything." She instantly replied; nodding her head as she spoke.

"…" Ryuuken smiled down warmly in response, before bringing her soft lips up to meet his in a chaste yet loving kiss. "And I love you more than words could ever hope to express." He replied after their kiss. "If nothing more, trust in that."

"…" She paused momentarily to allow the words to sink in, before nodding.

Calmed by Ryuuken's words, Matsumi gently sighed, before allowing herself to fall deeper into his embrace. "Ok."

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**_**TBC…  
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**A/N**: Next chapter should be out shortly... probably before I take off to Veracruz tomorrow morning...


	4. Everything Changes

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**:Fast update, I know, but since it was technically part of the previous chapter, but I split them up, it didn't take too long to fill in this chapter with a little more detail to expand it to over one-thousand words (my usual minimum). Please, just because I uploaded fast, don't forget to review the previous chapter... especially that one, it's so cute... ;P

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

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**_**EVERYTHING CHANGES  
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Mayuki sat patiently in the hospital waiting room, watching as one after another nurse and doctor came rushing out of the emergency room where Minato and Hitori were both being treated.

"Minato and Hitori?" A calming voice asked from next to Mayuki.

The girl turned to see her god-mother, Uzumaki Sakura, standing above her in her white lab coat, holding a clipboard in her hands. "I would expect it from Jiraiya and even from Ryuuken, but Minato and Hitori are usually the last to resort to violence." The pink haired kunoichi noted.

"…" Mayuki nodded in agreement.

It was true. Though both Minato and Hitori had their tempers; and both were prone to occasionally bouts of violent explosions, their tempers were usually easily controlled, and both generally only resorted to physical violence when caught up in their brothers' explosive outbursts, or when they were really pissed off and needed to blow off some steam; though that, in itself, was a rarity.

"They both seemed a bit odd today." Mayuki opined; remembering how distracted Minato had been before they ran into Hitori, who had seemed unexpectedly upset, before becoming enraged and confronting the eldest Uzumaki boy.

"I'm not too surprised." Sakura knowingly nodded. "It tends to hit the guys much harder than the girls I think."

"What does?" Mayuki looked up expectantly; waiting for the pink-haired medic to continue.

"Well," Sakura took her clipboard and placed it on the table next to them, before taking a seat besides Mayuki. "Soon after your mom and dad left the village, Shikamaru and Temari got married, and things started changing. The boys especially took it hard, realizing that everything was going to be different between all of us." Sakura explained. "Of course, they didn't like it, and started becoming moodier and occasionally began picking random fights with one another." She paused as a nurse walked out of the room to hand her another clipboard. "It's only natural, of course, to want to resist change." Sakura added, before standing up to leave.

Mayuki tried to piece together what the older kunoichi had said. It made sense. Minato and Hitori were both very close to Ryuuken; if his life was changing, it naturally would affect both of the other two shinobi's lives as well. And even if it didn't, they would both understandably begin to question their own lives; wondering whether theirs would change too, or worrying that their lives wouldn't change at all…

"Don't worry." Sakura reassured the younger kunoichi. "They'll be fine. This was probably something they both needed."

"Ok." Mayuki nodded.

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"Do you feel any better?" Minato asked the shinobi laid out on the bed opposite to him; the aches in his own body preventing him from sitting up to gauge the older shinobi's reactions.

"Hn." Hitori wearily eyed the hospital food the nurse had just placed in front of him. "Sorry." He apologetically mumbled under his breath.

Hitori hadn't meant to harm the younger man when he had first seen Minato walking beside Mayuki; it had just been an instant reaction. In part, Hitori knew it was due to the conditioned reaction of beating away any males who dared to approach his innocent little sister; though Minato and Jiraiya were usually amongst the few that the 'terror twins' actually spared. But this time Hitori hadn't been able to hold back. Seeing the how happy and calm Minato and Mayuki were triggered something in Hitori. He wasn't certain what had overcome him, but it was almost as if he had needed to release something pent up inside him, that even he had failed to realize was there.

"I suppose if I had a twin brother," Minato began. "One who I had always done everything with, and he suddenly moved on to a new stage in life without me… I'd feel a bit uncertain and perhaps angry, as well." Minato offered as way of explanation of what transpired between the two of them.

"Hn." Hitori considered the idea.

It make sense.

Though Ryuuken and Matsumi had been together practically since infancy, marriage was different. As much as they all perhaps wanted to deny it, things would certainly have to change.

But why?

Everything was perfectly fine just the way it was. Why did it need to change?

He knew he was being selfish in desiring for things to remain the same; just as he and Ryuuken were selfish in their desire to keep their sweet little sister away from the boys in the village, but Hitori couldn't help himself. He liked everything the way it was.

He hadn't realized it, but it had somewhat angered him, seeing Minato and Mayuki walking happily and calm, while he was tormented by the hidden dread that plagued him. Besides himself, Minato and Mayuki were the closest people to Ryuuken. Hitori couldn't understand why, though he was feeling lost and confused, the two of them both seemed to be adapting to the idea so easily.

Was it just him? Was he the only one who was feeling uneasy?

"haah." Hitori sighed; leaving the food in front of him as he fell back into the pillow below. "Everything's going to change, isn't it?" He finally voiced his growing concern.

"Hai." Minato solemnly agreed from the other side of the room; the first evidence Hitori had heard of someone else being worried about the prospects of what was to come. "I think it has to."

"Hn." The Hyuga nodded. As much as he didn't want things to change, Hitori _was _aware they had to; the catalyst had been sprung, and nothing would ever be the same. "That doesn't mean you can date Mayuki though." Hitori turned to glare at the bandaged blond; his own bandages reminding him that he probably didn't look any better than Minato.

"I know." Minato smirked; accepting the fact that it would take a braver man than him (or a more foolish one), to finally best the two Hyuga brother's and win the heart of their precious sister.

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**_**TBC…  
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**A/N**: I'm off to the bus-terminal to get a bus to Veracruz now, so it'll be a few days before I'm back at the computer, which I'm leaving here in Puebla, Mexico (remember, I'm still technically on "haitus"...lol... what a laugh... )... anyway if i'm not back before new years, happy new year everyone!!!


	5. A Troubled Heart

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I'm back from Veracruz! Well back to Puebla (so still on vacation)… the trip to Veracruz was good, but Papantla was even more fun… got to see more pyramids…really cool! I'll post pictures when I get home to develop them ;P

Anyway, enjoy the chapter (my last update of 2008!)... and everyone have a safe and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

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**_**A TROUBLED HEART  
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Rock Nao worriedly observed his female teammate out of the corner of his eye for the hundredth time, to confirm that she had indeed _not_ been injured by the fight that had taken place directly in front of her the pervious day. From what he could see, from behind the shaggy hair he was attempt to use to cover his eyes and conceal that he was looking over at the Hyuga girl, she didn't seem to have a scratch on her; despite the rumors of how massively destructive the battle between the two titan shinobi had been.

"Stop it Nao." Mayuki softly reprimanded her anxious teammate. "I'm fine." She insisted, before leaning over across the large checkered blanket they were sitting on to grab something out of the wicker basket in the center.

"Are you certain?" Nao asked for the third time since the group of nine friends had gathered on the hill overlooking the village to have a picnic.

He had wanted to ask more times, but thought twice about it; fearing it might give away the secret feelings he had harbored for the violet-eyed kunoichi since their genin squad had first formed, over eight years earlier.

"Yes." Mayuki insisted; returning to her seat between him and her cousin Atsui. "I assure you, I am fine." She repeated, before handing him a turkey sandwich; his favorite.

"Amazingly." Aburame Hisoka dryly observed from beside Atsui, who was quietly listening to their conversation, as she peeled an orange in her small, pale hands.

"What do you mean?" Nao turned to face his younger friend.

"Simply that," Hisoka began; turning toward Atsui as he spoke. "The area where Minato and Hitori-san had their fight was completely leveled." He explained, before taking the peeled orange the white-eyed kunoichi had offered him.

"It is a wonder Mayuki-san made it through without injury." Uzukami Sasuke agreed with the usually quiet bug-wielder.

"Hey, hey!" The prodigy daughter of the Rock family excitedly called out Mayuki. "Is it true that Minato-san attacked Hitori-san because Hitori-san stole his girlfriend?" Emi asked; repeating the rumor she had heard earlier that morning in hopes of hearing some confirmation of the story spreading through the village.

"But I thought Minato-san only liked Mai-chan?" Atsui finally spoke up from between her violet-eyed older cousin, and Uzumaki teammate.

"Atsui-chan!" Mayuki wearily eyed her shaggy-haired teammate, who always seemed to look depressed whenever mention of Minato was made.

She wasn't sure why it was that it seemed to wound her usually cheerful teammate, but for some reason Mayuki had noticed Nao had long ago developed a one-sided rivalry with the Hokage's eldest son. Try as he might, however, it was difficult to measure up to someone who was thought of as the second-coming of the fourth Hokage; his name alone being a fitting reminder of just how similar to his grandfather Minato was.

In talent alone, only Ryuuken and Hitori seemed to match the eldest son of the Hokage and Chief-Medic. Even Jiraiya and Sasuke, who were considered prodigies in their own right, could not compare to their eldest brother.

Nao, though skilled and hard working, was simply not at the same level as the older boy. But why that wounded him so, Mayuki still wasn't sure. It was not as if any of the rest of them were at Minato's level either. And Nao, himself, was not a meek shinobi to be easily forgotten.

"Gomen." Atsui timidly apologized, as she too witnessed Nao's smiling face darken at the mention of the eldest Uzumaki boy.

"Anyway," Mayuki tried to divert attention from her solemn faced teammate. "It was nothing like that." She replied to the rumor Rock Emi had repeated to them. "Hitori was the one who initiated the fight." She explained. "But I'm not sure why. And it doesn't really matter since it seems the two of them have managed to work it out." She added; remembering visiting the pair in their hospital room, and finding them back to their usual selves.

"It is still amazing you were uninjured, Mayuki-chan." Rock Yori added from beside his younger sister; both of them still worriedly observing their older brother's grave expression.

As if on queue, Nao's depression was instantly forgotten, as he once more turned to observe his female teammate; checking to see if in fact, she had been uninjured or not.

"Not really." The spiky haired Akimichi replied for his kunoichi teammate. "Neither Hitori-san, nor Minato-san would ever do anything to hurt Mayuki." Izuma stated matter-a-factly.

"Besides," Kenji tried smiling reassuringly. "Despite the property damage, I don't think anyone else was injured either." The young Inuzuka-Hyuga pointed out in an effort to contribute to what Izuma had said, but also to appease his own guilt for having played a part in bringing the two shinobi to battle. "Hi-san and Minato-san never harm anyone unless it is done intentionally."

"That's true." Emi agreed encouragingly; hoping that would cheer up her brother Nao, without drawing attention back to the fact that Minato would never injure Mayuki because he liked her.

Emi knew the reason he brother became depressed at the mention of the Hokage's eldest son wasn't because he felt he didn't measure up to the Uzumaki in the shinobi arts, but rather he believed that when it came to winning over the affections of the Hyuga girl, Nao just did not feel he could ever best Minato…

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"You really do worry too much." Mayuki teasingly poked at her shaggy-haired teammate's side as the two took the long way through the forest training fields, toward the kunoichi's house.

Once their meal had finished, the rest of their group had taken off to their respective training fields to continue their daily team exercises; leaving Team Shino (1), who had the day off from training, to clean up the picnic supplies. After apologizing for having to leave Mayuki and Nao to take care of the clean up on their own, Izuma took off running in the opposite direction to find his girlfriend, Majime, who he had agreed to meet after the picnic, to help pick out a dress for the wedding. (2) During the entire time the two remaining teammates had been picking up the picnic area, Mayuki had noticed that Nao had been stealing glances at her every so often.

"I assure you," Mayuki began; assuming Nao's actions were in order see if she was really uninjured. "If I had been injured, I would not be standing here right now."

The statement was not comforting…

"…" Nao nearly dropped the basket he was carrying, at the sudden intruding thought that any injuries Mayuki could have received from the fight between Minato and Hitori would have undoubtedly placed her under intensive care in the hospital.

It was true, if she had been hurt, her injuries would have been far more severe than the two shinobi who had been fighting. Though she wasn't anywhere near weak, Mayuki's skill, much like her mother's, lay mostly in long distance combat. Her petite body was not meant for close-range fighting, and would not resist as much brutal force as Minato and Hitori's.

If she _had_ been injured, it would not have been unnoticeable.

"I'm grateful." Mayuki leaned her head on Nao's shoulder as they reached her house. "But I've got plenty of people to worry needlessly for me; I don't need you to do it too." She teasingly reprimanded the nervous looking boy.

"I…" Nao didn't know what to say.

He knew the kunoichi had an issue with people constantly being over-protective of her, but he had never considered himself one of them. He worried about her because he cared, but he knew that when it came down to it, she could definitely hold her own. Unlike the others in her life, Nao's nervousness was merely the concern of a man who worried for the one he loved; _not_ from a desire to shelter the girl. And unlike the others, he never intended to deny her the freedom to try new things.

At least that was what he had always believed.

But now, hearing that she thought he was as over-protective as the others, Nao wondered if maybe he had just been misleading himself into thinking he was different. Worst; he wondered if perhaps he was just like the rest of them to her.

"Just stay your same sweet _true_ self." (**3**) Mayuki rose onto her tip-toes to reach Nao's right cheek and planting a light, airy kiss on his skin. "I like _that _guy best of all." She added; sincerely smiling, before running off into her house without looking back.

Had the kunoichi turned around, she would have seen the brightly blushing face of one poor, confused, Rock Nao. Never in his life had Nao been more elated and more befuddled than he was at that moment.

What did that mean?

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**_**TBC…  
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**_(1) Mayuki, Nao, and Izuma… I mentioned in chapter 1 that Shino was their sensei. I also have a fanart/chart of the teams on my profile.  
(2) Majime means earnestness, or truthfulness. Named by Cathiegirl16 from DeviantArt. I have a profile for her too, though she's not nearly as important as the Konoha 11 kids as far as OCs go…  
(3) That was just a little name-play between the two, because Nao means True.


	6. Yochigan

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! My first fanfic update of 2009! I'm dead tired so I'll keep this short… I recently became aware of a problem with this story… what? (you may ask)… well, simply that there was _no_ problem… as in, NO CONFLICT… and no good story is ever without it's conflict… therefore, a conflict has been decided upon… but no worries, it'll be small (not like an arranged marriage or kidnapping ;P)… so for the most part it'll still be semi-conflict-less… I really don't want to go over 10 chapters… 15 max… anyway enjoy the story and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

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**_**YOCHIGAN  
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Doom.

That was what Mayuki could see coming.

The night before the entire wedding party and the majority of the guests had arrived at the beachfront location, Mayuki had had a dream; a _bad_ dream.

Dreams were a funny thing in the youngest Hyuga's case.

Something she had learned at a very young age was that dreams, or more specifically, _her_ dreams, were not like everyone else's dreams. At a year and half, Mayuki had realized that she was different from her two older brothers. It wasn't just that she was a girl, or that she wasn't a twin; though she had wondered about that too, until her mother had explained to her that not all children were born with a twin.

What Mayuki had realized, one day long ago, was that her eyes were very different from both her brothers' and her father's Hyuga eyes.

_.:..:..:..:..:.:..:..:..FLASHBACK..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:._

"_Bwudar" One-and-a-half-year-old Mayuki stumbled on the word brother, as she called her six year old sibling, Ryuuken, while tumbling over to him._

"_Hn?" Ryuuken arched an eyebrow as he stared down at his baby sister; an icy look that would send most one__-and-a-half__-year-old's crying to their mother, but Mayuki was used to it._

"_Gwhy yoos iffrent?" The toddler crawled up Ryuuken's body to poke at one of his eyes (or at least try, before Ryuuken caught her little fist in his hand); asking the older, and as far as she was concern all-knowing, boy, why _his_ eyes were different from hers._

_Mayuki had just begun to enjoy learning the different names for colors, and upon going through the various colors and shades in the small hospital nursery where her two older brothers' were watching over her while their mother and father attended to their Aunt Hinata and Uncle Kiba, who had just had their first babies, she realized her two brothers' eyes were a completely different color from hers. _

_Now, Mayuki knew that her mommy and daddy both had different eye colors too, but she'd always thought her mommy was special because everyone else she usually saw had the same eyes as her daddy. Both Ryuuken and Hitori, who usually played with her, also had their daddy's white eyes. But she'd never realized that her own eyes were different; until just moments earlier, when she had been playing with a toy with a shiny surface. In that shiny toy, she had seen her face; which she had pervious only seen when her mommy showed Mayuki how her hair looked in her two tiny pig-tails each morning when mommy brushed her hair. But in all those times, Mayuki had never stopped to really look at her face; or more specifically, her eyes, so she never really saw the color that they truly were. Now she had; and they were _not_ the same color as her brothers' and daddy's eyes. _

_They were the color purple._

_But why?_

"_What is she talking about?" Ryuuken turned to face the much shyer of Mayuki's two twin brothers._

"_I don't know." Hitori shrugged. "Yu-yu?" He turned to face the youngest sibling. "What did you ask?" He questioned; as he brought the little girl off of their older brother, who had seemed to be just about ready to push her off if Hitori hadn't stepped in. _

_Unfortunately Mayuki had not yet realized how much Ryuuken disliked being touched, but Hitori knew._

"_Diffwent!" Mayuki excitedly pointed at Ryuuken's eyes, as she jumped up and down in Hitori's little arms; desperate to make herself understood._

"_I think she means our eyes." Hitori explained to their eldest brother, as he caught Mayuki trying to poke at his eyes just as she had tried to do with Ryuuken, moments earlier._

"_Different how?" Ryuuken wondered aloud. _

_As far as the six year old was concerned, despite the fact that Hyuga eyes were different from most people's eyes, Mayuki shouldn't have realized that yet. It wasn't until he and Hitori had been exposed to more non-Hyuga people, that they had realized it themselves._

"_Maybe she means from hers?…" Hitori offered; noticing that Mayuki was about ready to poke at her own eyes to make her point clear to the two older boys._

"_Oh." Ryuuken responded; clearly having lost interest in the subject since at that point, it was no longer a novelty to him._

"_You know," Hitori, who had not really concerned himself with the subject before, curiously stared at the little girl's violet eyes. "I have always wondered about that too." He voiced aloud. "Why aren't her eyes white like ours? They look more like our aunty Tereya-san's eyes."_

"_Hn." Ryuuken nodded in agreement; of course, he already knew why their eyes looked so similar; having already asked their mother about it a long time ago. "You don't have our Byakugan." Ryuuken addressed his baby sister; though he was also speaking to inform Hitori as well. "You have a different bloodline limit." He informed the two._

"_Owkay." Mayuki nodded happily; grateful to have received an answer to her inquiry._

_She wasn't sure exactly what her brother had said, but regardless, Mayuki believed anything Ryuuken said; he was, after all, the smartest boy she knew. If anyone knew why her eyes were different, it was him…_

_.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..END FLASHBACK.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..(__**1**__)_

It was nearly a year later when Mayuki had finally understood what her brother had told her the day their younger cousins, Kenji and Atsui, were born. She _didn't_ have the Byakugan like Ryuuken and Hitori did, but she _did_ have it; albeit, a less powerful version then the two twins (both her brothers' and her cousin's Byakugan eyes).

What Mayuki also had, however, was a second Kekkei Genkai.

Where her brothers and younger cousins only had one, Mayuki had two. Her father, whose mother had been a noble woman from a foreign land, had once belonged to a formally Noble clan in the Leaf Village. She had carried the dormant Yochigan gene that had once belonged to the great Raiden clan. (**2**) Now, the only known possessors of that Kekkei Genkai were Tereya and Mayuki. But of course, since Mayuki's Yochigan was not the same as Tereya's, it was also different how she received her 'visions'.

Unlike the normal Yochigan, Mayuki's yochi-byakugan, combination gave her the benefit of two Kekkei Genkai, but at a more diluted level than the full strength of either bloodline limit. And since the Yochigan was already an inconsistent tool, that took many years of training to fully understand in order to be useful in predicting the, ever fluctuating, future; Mayuki's lesser foresight-eye, made it difficult to get anything semi-accurate, outside the realm of unconsciousness. It was for that reason that her 'gift' was only strongest during sleep; or more specifically, during her REM cycle, when Mayuki was dreaming. The problem with dreams, however, is that the memories of the nocturnal images quickly begin fading the moment one wakes up.

And that was currently where Mayuki found herself.

She knew she had had a dream that something bad was going to happen at the wedding, but she didn't know what. Unfortunately, her aunt Tereya, who was the only other possessor of the foresight-eye, was not due to show up to the wedding until an hour before the ceremony, since she and Mayuki's uncle Oushi, were on their nineteenth honey-moon, to celebrate their wedding anniversary. This left Mayuki with two choices; either she could tell, and possibly cause needless panic, or she could try and figure out what the impending 'doom' was, and see if it really was as serious as the feeling she woke up with would have her believe.

The second choice definitely seemed safer.

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**_**TBC…  
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**_(1) Admit it, you _missed_ my flashbacks **;P ** Multi-footnote here… Tereya is obvious the Tereya from FIVE NOBLE CLANS… and "aunty" is in reference to her getting married to Oushi (yay!), who was Tenten's Godfather, so they're kind related (plus the whole Neji's mother being a Raiden thing)… hence the reason they decided to have the kids call them Aunty and Uncle…  
(2) Yochigan is the Foresight eye, for those of you who may have forgotten… and the Raiden clan is the one that Tereya (and Tekinai) belonged to…


	7. Seeking Assistance

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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I've been up since 4 am (my insomnia won't leave me alone even when on vacation)… unfortunately the internet was down so I couldn't post this until now… but here you go, a nice long(er) chapter… I'm almost done with the next one too… btw, I predict this story to run for about 12 chapters (at least according to my plot map)…. So yeah… I'm more than half way done… **XP **

**_THANKS_**_ **FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

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_SEEKING ASSISTANCE  
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Mayuki stared out at the empty basketball court in front of her. Everyone else who had arrived early for the wedding were either in their luxury suites, enjoying the resort's gift shop, or out playing on the beach on the other side of the building.

Mayuki had decided to separate herself from the others in order to try to sort out her thoughts.

For the third night in a row, the violet-eyed kunoichi had had the same dream she'd had the night before arriving at the beachfront resort. The first night she had had the dream, Mayuki had been hoping that she had been wrong, but after having the same dream again the following night, she began to grow concerned about the possibilities that her dream really my mean something.

The images were still fuzzy in her mind, but she distinctly remembered panicked faces. Everyone was worried and searching for something.

An enemy perhaps?

Mayuki wasn't sure; but after considering the bad luck her family seemed to have when it came to weddings, the kunoichi was beginning to worry that perhaps something seriously bad _was_ going to happen.

Still… she had no proof.

Her dreams could hardly be considered evidence of anything; at most, she only could recall vividly seeing Ryuuken's sad and worried expression, but not much more. She remembered a lot of yelling. But, as with most dreams, it sounded more like distorted echoes, than actual words; so she couldn't be sure what was being said.

One thing Mayuki _was_ sure of, however, was that she needed help.

As much as she wanted to believe it was just her imagination going wild, three nights of the same dream couldn't be ignored. The question was, _who_ was she going to ask?

Ryuuken and Matsumi were out of the question. True, it was their wedding and they had a right to know if something was going to go wrong; but if Mayuki was mistaken, then she would only be worrying them for nothing. Their parents were also not an option; since, at this stage in the events, they were equally busy with the wedding activities. As for the others, most of them had brought dates to the wedding; or, like Chika, were busy attempting to snag a date before the actual ceremony took place in less than four days…

"Haah." The violet-eyed Hyuga sighed; holding her fingers to her temples as she rubbed away the growing migraine.

The more Mayuki thought about it, the more she realized that there really weren't that many options…

"Hi-tan!" Mayuki began running toward the younger of the two twins, as she spotted Hitori rounding a corner a few yards ahead of where she had been sitting next to a tree, while contemplating what to do next.

"Yu-yu?" Hitori cocked his head to the side; watching as the near-frantic girl ran up to him.

It was then that Mayuki realized her brother was not alone. Walking behind Hitori, Nara Shinemuri and Uzumaki Minato and his younger brother Uzumaki Jiraiya, entered the basketball courts in their beach clothes.

"What's wrong?" Hitori worriedly look down at his little sister; he could see the fear hidden in her eyes.

"Ano…" Mayuki hesitated. She'd thought that he was alone when he walked around the corner, which was the only reason she dared to show any expression on her face; normally she was just as good as any Hyuga at disguising her inner turmoil (albeit, she did it with a smile rather than with a stoic, icy façade, like most of the Hyuga she knew).

"What is it?" Jiraiya rushed to their side, while the other two followed slowly after. "Is someone bothering you? A guy? Where is he?" The excited blond looked around furiously; ready to beat up whoever had dared to taint Mayuki's usually joyful expression with such sorrow and worry.

"No, no." Mayuki shook her head; gently waving her hands in the air. "It's nothing like that…. I just…" She hesitated. "I had a bad dream." She half-mumbled; hoping Hitori would understand the implication of her statement, without letting the others in on the real issue.

The Yochigan, though previously well known when the Raiden clan was still in the village, was a secret in regards to Mayuki. Since only she and her aunt Tereya were the sole known possessors of the foresight-eye, it was almost certain that it would cause trouble for Mayuki if it were common knowledge that she possessed such an ability. It would further cause complications if her predictions turned out wrong; which, considering she was still learning to train her weaker Yochigan abilities to raise them to an adequate level of proficiency, would undoubtedly occur.

"A dream?" Hitori repeated; his worried expression clearly showing that he had understood what Mayuki was trying to inform him of.

"Hai." Mayuki nodded; replying to Hitori's unasked question.

"The Yochigan?" Nara Shinemuri unexpectedly asked as he and Minato walked up besides the trio.

"…" Mayuki remained silent.

Of course she wasn't surprised Shinemuri, of all people, had pieced everything together. He was smart. No; not just smart… he was a genius. But more than that… though lazy at times, Shinemuri was a very curious person; always searching for answers to questions that no one else had. It was to be expected that he would have been intrigued with the difference in color of her eyes and the rest of the Hyuga and taken it upon himself to figure out why. He had probably been interested very early on, and had asked someone about her linage; probably learning about it through his parents, and eventually discovered mention of the Yochigan, which he could have quickly pieced together, to have been the reason for Mayuki's unusual eyes. The mention of a dream, accompanied by the worried expressions on both Hyuga siblings would have undoubtedly been a clear indicator to the Nara that the two were connected to the Yochigan. It really didn't take a genius to see that Shinemuri would not have had a problem figuring something out that most people probably would never had even spotted.

"Hai." Hitori finally responded to his best friend's question.

Mayuki could tell her brother wasn't surprised by Shinemuri's deduction either.

"How accurate is it?" Shinemuri questioned further, as if it were a perfectly normal topic to be speaking of; not a hint of possibility that it was perhaps a question that had been burning at his intense curiosity for some time.

"umm…" Mayuki hesitated.

For years she had been training with her aunt Tereya to master the Yochigan, but she was still trying to make her Kekkei Genkai more accurate. It _had_ improved over the years, but since it was difficult to have full control over one's abilities during one's sleep, it wasn't very easy to measure with exact certainty just how much she had improved. However, because she had been having that dream without willing herself to do so, for the past three nights, Mayuki was almost completely certain that it had to be pretty accurate.

"It is repetitive." Mayuki replied; explaining herself in case the genius boy questioned her reasoning. "So I am confident in this ones accuracy." She tried to sound confident, though in truth, because of the difficulty she had had training with the Yochigan, Mayuki admittedly lacked confidence in her abilities.

"How can we help?" Minato, who had quickly caught on to the situation as he listened to the others talking, offered his assistance.

"…" Mayuki was touched by the offer, but wasn't sure how anyone could help with a problem whose key was locked within her. "I don't know." She honestly replied.

"What did you see?" Hitori finally asked.

The four shinobi slowly leaned forward; eagerly awaiting the girl to inform them of what she'd foreseen, in order to help in preventing it, or at the very least, help her better understand it.

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

"But you're not sure how it happens?" Nao asked the kunoichi as the two teammates waited in an isolated part of the shore-front.

After explaining to Hitori and the others about her dream, Mayuki had agreed to wait for the guys' to go change into their training gear; it was then that she had run into Nao. Noticing the worried and tired expression on his teammate's face, Nao had urged the kunoichi to tell him what was troubling her.

Mayuki had long ago disclosed to her teammates, whom she trusted as much as her family, all about the Yochigan. Since Nao, like the other four guys, had also been among those few who had come to the wedding without a date, she figured he might want to help as well. More than that, however, she was certain the boy would feel left out, and hurt, if she didn't include him; especially if she had included Minato. The last thing Mayuki ever wanted to do was hurt Nao.

"No." Mayuki shook her head in response to her friend's query.

"But you believe it has something to do with the wedding?" Nao asked, before taking a seat next to the kunoichi at the edge of the shore; their bare feet being lightly kissed by the rising tide.

"I think so." Mayuki nodded wearily; never completely confident when it came to her ability to use either of her Kekkei Genkai.

"…" Nao watched the unmistakable signs of the nervous kunoichi, as she once more mentally berated herself for, what she believed to be her ineptitude at using her special gifts.

He did not have any special abilities. Unlike his three other siblings, Nao had inherited their father's inability to use ninjutsu and genjutsu, and as a result, had had to work three times as hard as the other students in the academy, just to prove himself a good enough shinobi to be elevated to the status of genin. And achieve that he did. Even without ninjutsu and genjutsu, Nao had surpassed most of the other academy students, to be the second highest ranking graduate his year; Mayuki had been the first.

Even during their days in the academy, Mayuki had amazed the young taijutsu user, but he had always noticed she never seemed to have the confidence in herself that anyone of her skill and talent would normally have. Nao could understand, of course, since the girl undoubtedly felt intimidated by the looming shadows of her very talented older brothers. It was perhaps for that reason that Mayuki chose to focus primarily on her weapon-using skills as opposed to the Hyuga's traditional 'gentle fist' style like her brothers. Secretly, however, Nao was aware the girl constantly trained to improve her abilities with the Byakugan and the Yochigan; though, to his knowledge, Nao was not aware of the kunoichi _ever_ demonstrating her progress to anyone. The only reason Nao even knew about her secret training was because he had once accidentally ran into her private training; since that time, nearly seven years ago, he had often wandered into the deep part of the forest where the girl conducted her training, and seen her immense improvement. He wished he could tell her how amazing he thought she was; but Nao couldn't reveal to the kunoichi that he had known about her secret training, lest it scare the girl into stopping, or worst, to pull away from him. That was something he would never want to do.

But just because he could not tell her what he knew, didn't mean he could not tell her how much he believed in her.

"You are a talented kunoichi." Nao cautiously, yet confidently stated. He knew compliments tended to make the kunoichi blush profusely; a sight he found incredibly endearing, but nonetheless, something which he did not attempt to do intentionally, since he did not like to embarrass the girl, regardless of how adorable she appeared to him in that state. "Trust in your abilities, I am certain that you will be able to figure it out." He added, before taking her hand and gently squeezing it.

"…" Mayuki slowly bowed her head; a few locks of hair covering her blushing face. "I… I hope so." She timidly replied.

"Do not worry." Nao bravely pulled the kunoichi's face up to meet his and smiled reassuringly. "I am certain we will be able to prevent anything from ruining Ryuuken-san and Matsumi-san's big day." He added; easily understanding the girl's greatest anxiety.

"Arigato." Mayuki smiled back at the shaggy-haired boy. "I am truly grateful to always have you there to support me." She added, before leaning in to kiss the boy's cheek.

"Ahem." A less than thrilled voice mock-coughed from behind the two teammates.

"Hi-tan!" Mayuki immediate pulled away from her raven-haired teammate; worriedly eyeing her older brother for any sign that he might become violent against the poor Rock.

Hitori was less likely than Ryuuken to fall into a violent rage against boys who got too close to Mayuki, but just the same, he did send his fair share of boys to the hospital; as did Minato and Jiraiya, who were both standing behind the slightly ticked off looking Hitori.

"So are we doing this or not?" Shinemuri stepped forward; blocking the three glaring shinobi's path to the two teammates.

"Hai." Mayuki nodded; grateful for the Nara's intentional, or unintentional, assistance. "Come on, let's go Nao." Rising to her feet, Mayuki quickly grabbed hold of her intimidated friend's shaking hand, and pulled him away from the rest of the group; hopefully the other three wouldn't misinterpret that, but she kind of doubted that…

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_TBC…  
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**A/N** unfortunately i´m pasting this from my flashdisk on my cousin´s computer (no internet on mine right now… but i´ll fix that I think) so I can´t actually reply to anything but I will as soon as I have access to the internet again…


	8. In Laws

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

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**_**IN-LAWS  
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"I don't care if he is the flipping Kazekage!" Nara Temari angrily yelled into the vanilla-colored phone in her hand, while three pairs of eyes watched her pace through a small office in the resort. "You tell those idiot elders that this is his only nieces wedding, and if they make him miss it, so help me, I will make them pay for it!" Temari continued shouting at the person on the other end of the line. "And then you bring that skinny, little red-head with you to the wedding. Got it Kankuro?"

Ryuuken could hear some indistinct mumbling on the other end of the line, before the yellow office phone his soon-to-be mother-in-law had been yelling into for over half an hour, was finally hung up.

"There." Temari turned to face Ryuuken and Matsumi. "They're on their way." She informed the couple with a satisfied smile.

Ryuuken quickly glanced over toward the blond woman's husband, Nara Shikamaru, and noticed his soon-to-be father-in-law's unusual expression. The Hokage's Chief advisor's face, as he lazily watched his wife of twenty-four years, looked to be a mixture of pride and fear…

_.:..:..:..:..:.:..:..:..FLASHBACK..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:._

"_You're scared of her!" Hitori laughingly accused the stoic Hyuga twin as the two brothers swiftly made their way through the forest, on their way back from an ANBU mission. _

"_Hn." Behind his Dragon mask, Ryuuken grunted; denying the accusation._

"_Admit it." The phoenix-ANBU continued teasing his older brother. "You're afraid that if you propose to Matsumi, she'll be bossing you around for the rest of your life!"_

"…" _Ryuuken continued to say nothing._

_It was true that the blond Nara had her intimidating side, but unlike most of the males who found that side of her less appealing (shallowly focusing primarily on the girl's outer beauty), Ryuuken loved that part of her. Sure, at times even _he_ could get a shiver down his spin at seeing the kunoichi at the height of her fury, but that shiver was always accompanied with a shiver of thrill and excitement; because he knew, _that_ was when Matsumi was at her most stunning. _

_The imagine of the blond kunoichi in battle, as she sent her human-sized fan crashing into the enemy's skull, or sent a wave of flesh-slicing wind shearing through the enemies numbers… _That_ was when Ryuuken found the kunoichi truly terrifying, and yet breath-takingly beautiful, at the same time._

"_I've got news for you." Hitori broke his older twin's thoughts as he continued teasing the dragon-ANBU. "She's been bossing you around since we were four years old; nothing's going to change!" _

"_Hn." Ryuuken grunted in response again._

_He agreed with his younger brother. If his fear had been that Matsumi would become a demanding and overbearing wife, it would have been a foolish fear; that fact was a given. But he didn't care. Despite how harsh people occasionally saw the kunoichi as, Ryuuken knew there was a softer, gentler side to her than just the bossiness people thought they saw. In reality, she wasn't nearly as overbearing as others imaged. She was sweet and kind-hearted; soft and delicate at times. And she was no more demanding on Ryuuken then he was on himself, and on her. It was simply how they were; they expected the best _from_ and _for_ themselves. It was only natural that they would both push one another into achieving those ends. Indeed, they were a perfect match for on another._

"_What about you?" Ryuuken turned toward his brother; hoping to shift the conversation over to Hitori's problem with women, instead of focusing just on him and Matsumi. "Will you ever give up on the girl you saw ten years ago and finally get serious with one of ones you're always dating?"_

"_Wha- huh?" Hitori nearly stumbled as he leapt towards another tree branch; clearly having been taken by surprise by his brother's probing question. "What girl? I don't know what you're talking about." He half-heartedly replied._

"_The girl you saw at the Konoha-Suna alliance festival when we were thirteen." Ryuuken reminded him; not at all buying the younger twin's fringed ignorance. "The one you kept looking for, for over a month before finally convincing yourself that she had probably been just a figment of your imagination." _

"_She wasn't!" Hitori excitedly exclaimed, before realizing that he'd just fallen into his older brother's trap. "Hn." He grunted uneasily._

"_So?" Ryuuken pressed._

"_So, what?" Hitori replied; unwilling to make it easy on his unusually playful older brother._

"_Will you continue searching for her?" Ryuuken asked. "Or do you intend to persist in your ridiculous pattern of dating any girl who asks you, in hopes of finding the one that can replace the little girl you saw at the festival?"_

"…" _Hitori silently continued running through the tree tops as he thought about what his brother had said. _

_He knew that what Ryuuken had said was true; he _had _been trying to replace the one girl he'd never met but had instantly been fall for, without any luck. But he didn't know what else to do. He had searched for the girl everywhere in the Leaf village during the festival; and even after the festival, he had continued to search for the girl, even expanding his search to include the nearby villages without success. What more could he do?_

"_Well…" Hitori began; frustrated at being reminded of his greatest failure. "At least when I'm older I'll have dated more than just one woman." He replied; taking his frustration out on his brother._

"_One is all that is necessary." Ryuuken calmly countered. _

"_Oh yeah?" Hitori smirked beneath his phoenix mask. "Then why are you so scared to propose to her?"_

_.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..END FLASHBACK.:..:..:..:..:..:..:.._

Seeing the look on his future father-in-law's face as Shikamaru watched his wife, Ryuuken realized it was the same for him. Matsumi could be terrifying at time, but that was what made her so amazing in his eyes. He was proud to be with such an extraordinarily strong and beautiful kunoichi. His greatest fear when considering proposing to her had never been in regards to whether she'd be a controlling wife, but whether she'd accept being his wife at all. He knew she loved him, but he also knew how feral a woman she truly was. To him, she was the like air she furiously wielded with her giant fan; fierce and untamable. Though she had been after him for much longer than he had been after her, Ryuuken had grown to love the woman so much, that he had feared the possibility, however slight or improbably it may have been, of her rejecting him.

Thankfully, it had not turned out that way, and Matsumi had immediately accepted.

Turning to his bride-to-be and taking her smaller hand in his, Ryuuken leaned over and kissed the side of Matsumi's face. "I love you." He whispered, before returning back to his pervious, upright position.

"Even after just seeing that?" Matsumi laughingly questioned.

"Hn." Ryuuken nodded.

Especially after just seeing that…

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**_**TBC…  
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**A/N**: Sorry I have had no access to the internet in the last few days (it died and I don't presume that I will be having any internet until the end of my trip when I'm back home again, which as far as I'm concerned is so not soon enough)…Again today I only have a few minutes to upload off my thumbdrive and check my grades (only have one left, hopefully I did as well on that one as I did on the two that I did well… the paper class however… eh, I did as about expected… )…so unfortunately I can't read other stories or reply emails, etc until I get back home… oh, don't worry the next chapter will deal with the little cliffy I left you all with in the pervious chapter… but it had been a while since I had had any thing with this happy couple, so I figured I'd do a little something with Ryuuken and Matsumi…

Oh PS… 'll be returning from my "vacation" (agh) on Monday night so I promise to update and finish this story as soon as I get home… in the mean time I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please feel free to leave me your reviews! **XD**


	9. A Cruel Act of Kindness

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**: I'm back from vacation (just barely! Flight just came in a little while ago… so annoying, but hey I had time to finish this up, so… enjoy!)

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

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**_**A CRUEL ACT OF KINDNESS  
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"Do you like him?" Hitori asked his younger sister as the two Hyuga siblings walked along the beach; looking for anything out of the ordinary.

The six Leaf ninja had agreed to split up into pairs in order to survey the surrounding areas for any possible dangers that might be attributed to Mayuki's dream. Hitori had insisted on being paired up with the kunoichi, over Jiraiya and Minato's protests; both of whom had also wanted to be paired up with the girl. In the end, the younger Hyuga 'Terror-twin' had gotten his way, with Shinemuri and Jiraiya forming one of the pairs, and Minato and Nao being the other.

"Like who?" Mayuki wearily asked.

From the look on her face, Hitori could tell she knew exactly who he was referring to, but nonetheless, Hitori decided to play along. "That Rock boy. Do you like him?" He repeated his question.

"Nao?" Mayuki looked over at her brother in surprise; as if the thought of her and the boy being romantically involved, had never once entered her mind.

"Mayuki." Hitori sternly called the girl by her full name; something he very rarely did. But this was a serious topic and he wanted her to know that.

"Sure I like him." Mayuki uncomfortably smiled; trying to break the tension from the sudden shift in mood between the two siblings. "He's my teammate." She offered. "He's really nice to me and always supportive. Nao's a true friend." She concluded.

"Friend?" Hitori eyed the girl for any sign of reaction that she might have been understating her and the boy's relationship; but he saw none.

From the look of it, it seemed as if perhaps the boy was just another one of Mayuki's many fans. Hitori was certain the look on the younger boy's face when the four of them had walked up to the two teammates had been the look of a man in love. On several other occasions Hitori had also noticed Nao silently observing the kunoichi. He had previously never paid much mind to it, however, since the two were teammates and that's what teammates do; they watch out for one another. Thinking about it rationally now, however, Hitori realized he should have noticed it earlier.

To his recollection, Nao had never had a girlfriend in his life. He wasn't a bad looking kid, and he certainly wasn't shy; having inherited his father's outgoing personality. The only logical reason a boy his age would not ever have had a girlfriend would either be due to the fact that he was an extremely dedicated shinobi who didn't want to distract from his training; or, he already liked someone who he had not built up the courage to ask out. Hitori knew, like all Rock family-members, Nao _was_ a very dedicated shinobi; having achieved the second highest rank at the academy the year he and Mayuki graduated, and with only taijutsu at his disposal. But despite this, Hitori very much doubted the boy was the type of shinobi who was so dedicated to his training that he would forgo a personal life; if that were the case, after all, he wouldn't have offered to help in what could possibly be nothing more than a wild-goose chase.(**1**)

"So if he's just a friend," Hitori continued questioning the girl. "Why did you kiss him?"

"What?" Mayuki stopped dead in her tracks; looking questioningly over at her older brother. "When?" She asked.

"When we walking up to the two of you sitting on the beach." He reminded her; wondering if the girl was fringing ignorance, or if she truly didn't remember.

"I did?" Mayuki furrowed her brow as she tried to remember.

"Yeah." Hitori insisted; nodding his head. "And then you ran off holding his hand." He reminded her. "If you ask me; that is not the way two people who are 'just friends' behave towards one another."

"Well maybe that's because we're not 'just friends'." Mayuki irritatedly repeated, in air-quotes the 'friends' part.

"You're not?" Hitori arched a brow; eagerly awaiting what the kunoichi would say next.

"No." Mayuki shook her head. "We're more than 'just friends' we're _best friends_!" She replied. "Nao is one of my most important people. And so what if I give him a peck on the cheek now and then? He's very kind to me and encourages me to always do my best. He's a great person, and a nice boy, and I don't want you or Ryuuken, or anyone else bothering him. Got that?" Mayuki heatedly breathed in and out as she steadily calmed herself from that brief moment of agitation.

It wasn't like her to get so worked up.

Knowing this, Hitori wondered if perhaps the boy meant more to her than even _she_ realized. Mayuki had always been innocently naïve (one of the reasons the three males in her family were overprotective of the girl). Perhaps, Hitori wondered, she _did_ like the boy, but because her experience with boys was limited to those few Hitori and Ryuuken permitted to speak with her and fawning fanboys who gawked at her from a distance, maybe the girl didn't realize what it was like to like a boy.

"…" Hitori quietly observed the girl; wondering if his deductions were accurate or not. "So…" He began. "This isn't the first time you've kissed him?" He asked; picking up on the one part of his little sister's rant that his overprotective big-brother mind had instantly zeroed in on.

"Yeah, so what?" Mayuki snarled. "To thank him for being such a good friend." She added.

"Is that right?" Hitori asked. He was beginning to feel sorry for Nao. "Poor kid." He mumbled under his breath. It had to take someone strongly in love, or incredibly foolish, to be able to withstand such a cruel act of kindness. (**2**)

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"Nao-kun." Minato called out to the younger boy as the two hiked up the tall cliff at the other end of the resort from where Hitori and Mayuki were surveying the premises.

"Yes?!" Nao nervously shouted as he replied to the older shinobi's call.

"Relax." Minato calmly replied; observing the younger man's agitated reaction. "It is a routine surveillance. Nothing you have not done before."

"Hai." Nao agreed; at a still slightly louder volume than was necessary.

"Very well." Minato sighed. "Let us continue." He added, before making his way up to the top of the steep rocky cliff.

"It-" Nao tried to make casual conversation, but had some difficulty attempting it because he was so nervous; it wasn't often one was left alone with their rival (even if it was a one-sided rivalry). "It is a very long way down." Nao attempted to sound calm as his made his observation.

"Yes." Minato agreed; following the rocky cliffside to the bottom, with his eyes. "There seems to be a small shoreline there." The Uzumaki observed; looking down at the other team currently surveying the bottom of the ocean cliffs, where the shoreline curved into the mountain so as to provide more room to walk in the center, while the ends were much narrower in width.

"That does no appear very safe." Nao continued the idle chatter as the two observed Jiraiya and Shinemuri walk across the quickly vanishing rocky shorefront at the narrower ends of the small cove.

"No, it does not." Minato agreed. "But the tide is rising. Perhaps at low tide it is not as dangerous." He remarked; observing the young man's nervousness lessen.

"Hai." Nao agreed; at bit more at easy then he had been when the pair had first set off together. "When the ocean reaches high tide, I believe that it will cover the entire shore below."

"Most likely." Minato agreed. "And then the crashing waves would certainly make that part of the beach very dangerous."

"…" Nao nodded.

No longer having anything left to add to their conversation, a still silence fell upon the pair. Minato observed the young boy out of the corner of his eye; hoping Nao had calmed down sufficiently for him to ask the boy something that had been nagging at him for some time.

"Are you in love with Mayuki-chan?" Minato asked directly.

He already knew the boy liked her; that much was clear just from observing them moments ago. What Minato did not know, however, was how _much_ the boy liked her.

"…" Caught completely by surprise, Nao came falling into the rocking cliff floor; too shocked to even have time to catch himself as he fell, face first, into the jagged rocks.

"Should I take that as a yes?" Minato calmly asked; not in the least bit affected by the boys ungraceful reaction.

"Aah…" Nao's nervousness replied as he returned to his feet; a rising blush serving to answer Minato's inquiry.

"I am not asking you this because I intent to fight you for her." Minato calmly informed the boy; noticing the agitation in Nao slightly lessen, though not entirely so. "I am merely interested in knowing your intentions toward the kunoichi."

To anyone else, it might seem odd that someone who was not related to the girl in question would ask whether a boy who was interested in the same girl as him, had true feelings and pure intentions for said girl; but to Minato, it seemed perfectly logical. It was not as if any other boy going after Mayuki would ever had that opportunity with Ryuuken or Hitori; much less, with the ANBU head, Hyuga Neji, himself. Thus, Minato had decided, after witnessing the earlier signs that Mayuki might have feelings for the boy as well, that he would support Nao if his intentions and feelings were in fact true.

"It is no secret that I care for Mayuki-chan." Minato continued; noting the uneasy in the boy's eyes.

There was something else there as well, however.

Anger? A sliver of rage hidden behind the anxiety.

"However," He continued. "As much as I dislike having to admit it… I do not believe she will ever reciprocate." Minato begrudgingly informed the agitated boy; though outwardly he remained as calm and collected as ever. "So… Do you love her?" Minato repeated his earlier question.

"…" Nao wasn't sure what to say. On the one hand, the man whom he had always seen as his greatest rival for the violet eyed kunoichi's affections, was all but giving him a green light; but on the other hand, he had never admitted his feelings to anyone before, and considering up until a few seconds earlier, Nao had seen Minato as a threat, it seemed odd to have his first confession admitted to the man whom he had held such animosity and jealousy toward.

"You do not have to answer." Minato broke the uneasy silence that had fallen between the two as Nao contemplated whether to reply to him or not. "I can already tell that I am not mistaken." He confidently added. "But allow me to give you one piece of advice, Nao-kun." His name on the lips of his now, former, rival seemed foreign and hateful; but at the same time sincere and warm-hearted. "If you do indeed love Mayuki-chan… fight for her." The blond shinobi sternly advise.

"…" Nao stared at the older man in utter surprise.

"It will not be an easy task to win over her brothers and father…" Minato paused. It really wasn't something that he needed to tell the boy; everyone knew it was impossibly difficult to get near Mayuki because of her two brothers. "But you will never win _her_ over, unless you try." Minato added.

"Why are you helping me?" Nao finally spoke; asking the question that had been bugging him since their conversation had started.

"I am not doing this for you." Minato bluntly replied.

Without saying it directly, Nao had understood Minato's meaning. He was not helping Nao at all; the blond was doing it because he genuinely loved Mayuki and wanted nothing more than her happiness.

For the third time since their conversation had commenced, Nao was left dumbstruck; unable to speak due to the shock of such straightforward honesty. Minato truly was as great a man as Nao had always believed him to be. And, if in fact Minato was correct in his assessment of the violet-eyed kunoichi's feelings, Nao was a very lucky man… under different circumstances, he was certain he would never have been a match for the blond shinobi.

"I understand." Nao gratefully replied.

Moved by the sincerity of the older man, Nao decided he would at least try to be as honest with Minato as the older man had been with him.

"I…" Nao began; unsure of what to say. "…" Taking a deep breath, he decided he might as well just start. "From the minute I awake every morning, to the minute I go to sleep at night, and every moment in between, I think of her. Every hour that I am separated from her, I miss her; and every moment I am fortunate enough to be by her side, I wish I were holding her. I want to tell her how amazing I think she is, and encourage her to believe in herself like I believe in her. I want her to know that she means the world to me, and I would die if I thought that, even for a moment I had lost her from my life. I'm terrified of the prospects that one day she might tell me she's meant someone, but too cowardly to admit to her that I wish I could be that someone. I want to be forever at her side, but I can not bare the possibility that if I should confess to her, I may lose her as my friend completely."

The words he had been having difficulty finding seemed to pour out of Nao as if they had been waiting for the opportunity to escape for a very long time, and in fact they had; he only wish they had not been to the very uncharacteristically startled blond standing in front of him.

"Haah." Nao sighed; reflecting on the cruel act of kindness of having been forced to face the fear that had been hidden in his heart for some many years. Slowly, he turned upward to face the older shinobi square in the eye; painful as the truth may have been for both men, Nao was determined to say it clearly and sincerely. "I love her… so much…" His voice broke, as a tiny tear rolled down his dirt-covered face.

Relief and dread washing over him as he realized Minato was right; he needed to tell her…

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**_**TBC…  
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**_FOOTNOTES:  
(1) That's referring to the search for any suspicious dangerous around the resort…  
(2) I loved the line "A cruel act of kindness" so much, I titled the chapter after this one line (the original title was going to be "DO YOU?" like the first chapter of WIND AND DRAGON, but I decided I don't much like repeating myself, so no…), and then of course, I repeated this same later in the scene with Nao and Minato… to keep the theme going, but also because I just really liked this line; kind of poetic…


	10. Past, Present and Future Collide

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

WARNING: Cliff-hanger… but next update should be quick…

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

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**_**PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE COLLIDE  
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Akimichi Chika watched as her best friend, Nara Matsumi (soon-to-be _Hyuga_ Matsumi) paced back and forth in her elaborate white wedding kimono.

They were alone, inside the small bridal preparation room (everyone else having been kicked out by the anxious bride half an hour earlier), waiting for someone to call them and tell them it was time to get into place for the ceremony. For nearly twenty minutes, Chika had sat silently watching as the restless blond paced back and forth; certain that if this continued, the polished wood floor beneath her would soon have a hole worn into it from all the pacing.

"You're not getting cold feet are you?" Chika bluntly asked the nervous looking bride.

"What!" Matsumi stopped mid-stride; turning to stare at the blond Akimichi with a look of dread and surprise. "NO!" She excitedly denied. "Of course not." She shook her head anxiously; her breath labored as if she'd just been running a marathon, rather just merely pacing back and forth in a small room. "You don't think Ryuu-"

"Tch, as if!" Chika scoffed at the very idea that 'prime and proper' Hyuga Ryuuken would ever leave a girl stranded at the altar. "Please," Chika waved her hand in front of her; brushing off the implication. "It wouldn't have taken that _demon_ so long to propose in the first place, unless he'd thought long and hard about the decision and was absolutely certain about it." Chika pointed out; confident she knew the 'Demon' brother of the 'Terror Twins' (as he was so fondly referred to by a large portion of the population in Konoha) well enough to understand his way of thinking.

As far as Chika was concerned; the man (Ryuuken), though incredibly brilliant in many respected, was a simple man. His motives for doing things were not difficult to comprehend. What Ryuuken said and did were never in contradiction. He may not have been the most open person in the world, but he was hardly secretive; unlike his younger brother, who, in Chika's opinion, always seemed to be hiding something deeper behind his smiling and friendly face.

"Yeah." Matsumi sighed; taking a seat for the first time in nearly two hours.

"Ok, so if it's not cold feet," Chika turned her attention back on the nervous bride. "What is it?" She asked directly; never one to beat around the bush.

"You know that feeling you get right before a battle?" Matsumi asked. "A mixture of fear and excitement because you know you're about to do something really dangerous, but really fun?"

"…" Chika stared at her best friend in wary apprehension. "No…" She slowly replied. "But I'm in espionage." Chika shrugged; assuming that was the reason she didn't understand her friend's descriptive portrayal of what it felt like to go into battle. "I'll take your word for it though."

"Yeah…" Matsumi understandingly nodded. "Well that's kind of what I feel right now." She added.

"Like, you're about to do something 'really dangerous, but really fun'?" Chika reiterated what her friend had described.

"Hai." Matsumi nodded.

"I guess that's one way to describe marriage." Chika sarcastically replied; a playful smirk forming at the edge of her mouth. "Especially to Ryuuken."

"haha." Matsumi nervously laughed at the snide remark from her best friend.

"Okay, I get it." Chika acknowledged. "You're excited about finally getting what you've always wanted, but you're also afraid that in getting what you want, you might realize you didn't really want it after all. You're scared that if things change, they may not be for the better; and you like the way things are. Am I right so far?"

"…" Matsumi nodded; not at all surprised her best friend could figure her out so easily.

"That's normal!" With a wave of her hand, Chika once more brushed the topic off as a mere nuisance. "It would be strange if you didn't have butterflies causing a ruckus in your stomach right now." Chika confessed.

"Hai." Matsumi quietly agreed.

"There's still time before the ceremony." Chika stated, as she noticed the small clock hanging on the far wall; it indicated that there was still over an hour left until the ceremony. "Why don't I give you some time to calm down and sort out your thoughts, and when I come back you'll be much better and ready to go?" The blond Akimichi offered; a sly smile etched across her face after having noticed a familiar shadow cross in front of the slightly open door.

"You still haven't asked him have you?" Matsumi referred to her younger brother; whose shadow she had also seen rush across the other side of the door.

"He's been missing these last few days!" Chika exclaimed; disappointed in herself for having let so much time pass without yet asking the youngest Nara to be her escort to the wedding. "But trust me, before this wedding is over, I'll have Nara Shinemuri. You can count on that!" Chika declared, before quickly leaving the room in search of the lazy shinobi.

"Poor baby-bro." Matsumi smirked knowingly. "He's got no idea…"

**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**

"Is everything okay?" Tenten asked her three children, who all appeared to be suspiciously agitated.

She could understand Ryuuken's nervousness; but Hitori and Mayuki's anxiety seemed out of place.

"Mai-chan?" She called her teenage daughter. "Hitori?"

"It's nothing really." Hitori assured his mother.

"Yeah." Mayuki nodded. "We're just anxious to see Ryuu and Matsumi-chan get married." She added.

Though Tenten believed neither of her children would lie to her without good reason, she suspected that behind the younger kunoichi's truth was something deeper. But, because it was Ryuuken's big day, and everyone was present and safe, she decided not to ask too many questions.

Turning her attention back at Ryuuken, Tenten couldn't help but let her mind wander back to when her, now full grown children, were still tiny little kids.

_.:..:..:..:..:.:..:..:..FLASHBACK..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:._

_Holding one-year-old Mayuki in his arms, Neji watched as five-year-old Ryuuken fidgeted in his mother's arms as Tenten attempted to adjust the collar on his new school clothes. _

"_Mom!" Ryuuken hissed embarrassedly; glaring at the passing children who snickered as they watched Tenten lick her finger to remove a tiny smudge of dirt off the boy's face. _

"_Okay, okay." Tenten backed off; turning her attention to the shier of the two twins._

"_Hn." A muted snicker from behind Neji catch his attention. _

"_Nara." Neji greeted his lazy friend as Shikamaru and his youngest child, Shinemuri, stepped up besides him, while his wife chased after their own five-year-old terror._

"_Hyuga." Shikamaru nodded._

_Though they'd been friends for many years, and held one another in high regards, both men had grown accustomed to addressing the other by last name alone. _

_Silently, the two fathers observed as their respective wives fussed over their children; who were preparing for their very first day of school at the academy. _

"_Matsumi!" Temari yelled out after the renegade kindergartener. "Get back here young lady!" she shouted, as the girl ran (shoeless) toward Tenten and the twins._

"_RYUU!" _

"_Get off me!" Ryuuken shouted at the little girl who had unexpectedly tackled him while he was distractedly glaring at the passing children._

"_Are we gonna be in the same class?" Matsumi excitedly questioned; completely oblivious to the hateful glare directed at her._

"_Stop touching me." Ryuuken shoved the girl away from him. _

"_Ryuu!" Tenten scolded the boy for pushing the young Nara girl._

"_Are you okay, Matsumi-chan?" Hitori asked as he helped the little girl stand and dust herself off. _

"_Hai." Matsumi nodded. "Arigato." She smile at the younger twin before turning her attention back on Ryuuken; preparing herself to 'attack' a second time._

"_See what you've done!" Temari scolded the blond girl as Hitori spotted Shinemuri and walked off toward his best friend; leaving behind the chaos of the other two new kindergarteners and their mothers. "Just look at what you've done to your new dress. And your hair's all messed up now! I'm going to have to take you back home and clean you up all over again!" Temari reprimanded the little girl._

"_RYUU!" Matsumi struggled against her mother's arms to try and get back to the white-eyed boy._

"_Hn." Ryuuken glared at the girl; irritatingly having to put up with his mother readjusting his collar for the second time, thanks to that girl._

_.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..END FLASHBACK.:..:..:..:..:..:..:.._

"It suits you." Tenten said admiringly, as she straightened the collar on Ryuuken's Hyuga wedding robes.

She could hardly believe her little Ryuuken was getting married. It seemed like so many lifetimes ago when the little boy with the glaring eyes had first met, and rejected the spitfire Nara girl.

So much had changed….

He wasn't her baby boy any longer. Over the years Ryuuken had grown into a man, both feared and respected amongst the strongest ninja of the shinobi world. Tenten couldn't be prouder or happier for the man her precious little boy had grown into, than she was at that very moment.

"Ryuu." Tenten quietly whispered, before bringing her arms tightly around his neck.

"Mom." Ryuuken began pulling away, before noticing the moisture welling up in his mother's eyes. "Hn." He relented; allowing the tearful woman to embrace him to her hearts content.

The silent happiness was soon ended, however, when the door to the small office where the family of five were gathered, suddenly came crashing open.

"CHIKA!" Mayuki excitedly exclaimed as the blond kunoichi came running into the room; almost completely out of breath.

"What's wrong?" Ryuuken demanded of the breathless girl, as Tenten let go and turned to face the commotion.

"Matsu-" Chika pantingly gasped. "Missing…"

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**_**TBC…  
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**_**A/N**: Dun Dun Dun…. Two chapters (or maybe three) left, so… it won't take too long to resolve… but I'm beginning to realize I don't know if I have a full resolution for Nao and Mayuki... i might end up doing a side story for them... or not... we'll see


	11. In Distress

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**: Next chapter is the last chapter… it had been decided… but since I start school tomorrow (omg, I didn't know that, thought it started on the 20th!), it'll take a little longer to write than I'd like, but the story should be finished within a week at most (I hope)…

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

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**_**IN DISTRESS  
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"What do you mean 'missing'?" Ryuuken asked the blond kunoichi as he and the others quickly surrounded the poor girl to get specifics.

"Just that," Chika began. "I left her in the changing room to let her calm herself down and when I returned half an hour later, she was gone." She explained.

"Ryuu…" Mayuki solemnly whispered, upon seeing his brother's worried and pained expression. She could only imagine what thoughts were running through Ryuuken's mind.

"Did you see anything out of the ordinary?" Hitori asked the blond girl.

"What do you mean 'out of the ordinary'?" Tenten asked her younger son; suddenly wondering if perhaps he and Mayuki had known something before Matsumi's disappearance, especially given the way the two had been behaving beforehand, and how they had reacted to Chika's announcement.

"Do you two know something?" Neji questioned Hitori and Mayuki; apparently having also picked up on the signs Tenten had noticed.

Hesitantly, Mayuki explained to them, all about her dream and how Hitori and the others had been helping her figure out what it meant. Unfortunately, in the three days they had spent searching the resort, they had found nothing out of the ordinary; no explanations for the images in Mayuki's dreams…

Until now…

"She didn't run off!" Chika protested before anyone could make the suggestion.

"You mentioned she needed to clear her mind." Ryuuken reiterated the blond girl's earlier statements.

Chika nodded.

"Hn." Ryuuken's face seemed pensive as he thought over that particular piece of information.

"Maybe she went for a walk?" Hitori suggested; knowing the blond Nara almost as well as Ryuuken did, having spent most of their childhoods together on the same squad.

"That is possible." Ryuuken agreed.

"But wouldn't she be back by now?" Chika wondered; eyeing the clock over the office desk that indicated the wedding ceremony was to take place in less than fifteen minutes.

"Haah!" A gasp from behind, made everyone turn, just in time to see Mayuki suddenly falling backwards into the marble floor; a small trail of blood trickling down from the girl's nose, noticeable for all to see.

"MAYUKI!" Everyone yelled in unison.

Fortunately, Ryuuken, who had been standing closest to the girl, was able to catch Mayuki before she hit her head on the hard floor.

"What's wrong?" Neji immediately jumped into protective father-mode at the sight of his precious daughter's limp body in Ryuuken's arms.

"Mai-chan is forcing her Yochigan." A large, looming shadow appeared behind the open door of the small resort office.

"Yochigan?" Chika repeated questioningly.

"Hai." A female voice from behind the colossal man, who had just spoken, agreed. "It is my clan's Kekkei Genkai." Tereya informed the blond as Ryoku stepped aside to allow her, Oushi, and Xiu-Juan to step through the door.

"Aunt Tereya!" Hitori excitedly approached the older violet-eyed kunoichi. "Yu-Yu was hoping you would get here to help her." Hitori informed the older woman.

"I'm afraid I cannot." Tereya replied. "This is Mai-chan's bridge to cross."

"What do you mean?" Tenten asked the older kunoichi.

"Mayuki has always felt inferior to others because of the weaker level of jutsu she possesses; both in the Yochigan and the Byakugan." A familiar male voice spoke from behind the newly arrived group. "By forcing herself now," Rock Nao, who had been listening to everyone speak, walked into the small office; followed by Shinemuri, Minato, and Jiraiya. "I believe she is trying to prove to herself that she is as capable of reaching the same level of strength in her jutsu as someone who does not have her self-perceived limitations." Nao concluded his assessment, before walking over to the unconscious kunoichi and cleaning the small trace of blood off with the cuff of his shirt; worry and pride coloring his concerned expression.

"Aha." A moan escaped the passed-out kunoichi's lips; returning everyone's attention back to Mayuki.

"Mai-chan." Ryuuken gently rocked the girl in his arms; calling out her name in hopes that it would rouse her back to life.

"Ryuu…" Mayuki moaned; looking up at her brother with pallid eyes.

"Are you okay?" Ryuuken asked the petite girl; for the first time realizing just how tiny and vulnerable she really was as he held her limp body.

"Matsumi…" Mayuki groaned; her eyes seem clouded, almost as if she was still only semi-conscious. "She's stranded..."

"You should rest a moment." Ryuuken advised. He was relieved to know that his bride-to-be was not running late by choice; and now was more concerned for his dazed-looking sister's current state.

"No time." Mayuki listlessly protested. "A beach that isn't beach…" She cryptically added; her foggy-eyed appearance giving an unexpected eeriness to her words.

"What do you mean?" Shinemuri asked; concern for his older sister quickly escalating as his genius mind began wondering at the possibilities of what the girl's words might mean.

"It's disappearing…" Mayuki drowsily responded.

"The cliffs!" Minato immediately realized what the Hyuga girl must have been seeing in her self-induced vision.

"The tide!" Nao quickly caught on to Minato thought-process; they had, after all, discussed the possibilities of how dangerous that small sliver of land would be, should someone be trapped in the center of the vanishing cove.

"We have to hurry." Shinemuri worriedly exclaimed, as soon as he too realized what location the two shinobi were referring to.

"We'll show you where." Minato offered the worried groom, before indicating to Nao that he should take hold of Mayuki and wait there.

"Hai." Ryuuken cautiously turned the semi-conscious girl over to her teammate, before taking off with Hitori, Shinemuri, Minato and Jiraiya, in search of the stranded bride.

**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**

Matsumi refused to regret having decided to go for a walk.

Though she was currently running late for the wedding she had been waiting for, for nearly her entire life, and she was fairly certain Ryuuken would be heartbroken and might misunderstand her sudden disappearance (though a tiny voice in her subconscious told her not to be ridiculous; of course Ryuuken would know her well enough to realize that she would never do such a coldhearted thing, even if she _had_ been scared of the prospects of the change that their marriage would inevitably bring), Matsumi was almost grateful for her current position, as she stood, situated near the rocky cliff-side wall, to avoid the ocean's salty water from ruining her wedding gown.

Yes; she had been terrified of the uncertain future their marriage would bring, but as she stared at the approaching tide that was swiftly consuming the small shoreline she had ventured onto during her walk across the beach, Matsumi became more and more certain she was doing the right thing.

The crashing waves that collided onto the jagged rocks a few yards inward in the ocean had the effect of relieving the tension that had grown inside the kunoichi over the last few months since Ryuuken had proposed to her. Matsumi imagined it was her own frustrations crashing into the rocks protruding from the ocean floor; meeting head-on, the illusionary obstacles that had yet to emerge (and might never emerge) in her and Ryuuken's relationship.

She noticed how forceful the water was; unyielding in its demand to reach its objective (the shoreline), it exploded in a wonderfully volatile display of scattered rainbows, as the splashing water jettisoned in random directions upon the water's collision with the rocks.

The more she watched the crashing waves (and the more the water approached her), the more certain Matsumi became that no matter what obstacles and challenges might confront her and Ryuuken in the future, if she could make it out of her current predicament, together they would be able to face anything head-on, and attain the 'happily ever after' that she had always dreamed of.

"MATSUMI!" A loud, desperate voice yelled out from above her.

"RYUU?!" Matsumi yelled back in response; turning her head up to the perturbing cliff above her (all the while remaining ever vigilant that her pristine white wedding kimono remain untouched by both the salty sea water in front of her and the jagged rock wall behind her).

"I'M COMING DOWN!" Ryuuken shouted over the sound of the crashing waves.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Matsumi shouted back.

"…" Ryuuken, and the four others Matsumi now realized were standing along side him, all looked down at the kunoichi as if she were insane.

"SHINEMURI!" Matsumi yelled up to her genius little brother; hopeful that his brilliant mind (or a combination of the five of their minds) could figure out the best way out of her dilemma. "FIGURE OUT A WAY FOR ME TO GET OUT OF HERE WITHOUT RUINING ANYONE'S FORMAL CLOTHES!" She seriously demanded.

Of course she would have been able to easily rescue herself long ago, but Matsumi was not about to ruin her perfect day by tearing or dirtying her wedding gown; the wedding gown she had spent months embroidering with dedicated willfulness. She was also _not_ about to allow Ryuuken, or anyone else ruin her perfect day by showing up dirty or disheveled to her wedding. Sure, she knew it was stupid to value the memory of a 'perfect' wedding over her own safety, but she wasn't about to give up on the idea that she could make it out of her current situation without messing up her kimono, until it was plainly obvious that there was no other way than to climb up the rocky cliff-side, or swim through the turbulent sea, to save herself from the destructive waves that would soon come crashing into the small beach shore that was quickly disappearing from right below her feet.

"FINE." Ryuuken sighed loudly.

Matsumi was grateful that he respected her insane request, but she wondered if there really was some way to get herself out of her current state, without ruining their appearances.

"TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES." Ryuuken shouted down after a few minutes of the five shinobi deliberating above her.

"WHAT?!" Matsumi responded in utter shock; unsure if she should be surprised or angry at the demand.

"IT'S THE ONLY WAY." Shinemuri uncharacteristically exerted himself to be heard over the quickly approaching waves.

"IF YOU WANT YOUR KIMONO TO REMAIN CLEAN FOR THE WEDDING, YOU HAVE TO DO IT." Hitori joined in, in the attempt to convince the kunoichi that this was the best course of action.

"ONLY TO YOUR UNDERGARMENTS." Minato offered as way of lessening the totality of their request.

"BUT…" Matsumi began protesting.

Not only was she against the idea of undressing in front of five men (her brother, and the fiancé who had never before seen her naked, included), Matsumi knew exactly what was underneath her clothes. Unfortunately, after much insistence by Chika, Matsumi had begrudgingly agreed to wear the sexy, white lingerie her blond best friend had given her as a wedding gift. If she had been in her normal undergarments, the humiliation of the moment might not have been as severe, but because she was wearing what could only be described as a see-through slip over a matching bra and panties set, made of a sheer material, with minimal décor, and barely enough fabric to cover the most essential parts, Matsumi was adamantly against it…

NO!

There was no way she was going to allow those five shinobi above her on the cliff-side, to see her in such clothing.

"NONE OF US IS GOING TO LOOK AT YOU." Shinemuri promised; almost as if he could read his sister's mind.

"RYUUKEN WILL BE THE ONE TO HELP YOU UP." Hitori added; as if to persuade the kunoichi that as long as it was her fiancé, it shouldn't be a problem.

But that had not been how Matsumi had expected him to see the negligee for the first time.

"NO!" Matsumi once more protested.

"WOULD YOU PREFER SOMEONE ELSE CLIMB DOWN TO HELP YOU?" Jiraiya teasingly yelled down.

"…" For a brief moment, Matsumi considered whether it was possible for her to climb up the cliff-side without ruining her kimono, or worst, completely tearing off her nightgown, which she was sure, would never survive the jagged rocks. "FINE." She reluctantly accepted; knowing it was the only way for her to preserve the prefect wedding memory she wanted.

"WHAT, REALLY?!?" Jiraiya (ever the pervert; much like his namesake) excitedly yelled back.

"NOT YOU!" Matsumi angrily shot back. "Ryuuken." She added; just loud enough for the stoic Hyuga to hear and prepare himself to climb down.

Removing his own kimono, down to just his boxers and white undershirt, Ryuuken gestured for the other men to step back while and turn away, while below, Matsumi removed and folded up her white wedding kimono…

…waiting for her prince to rescue her.

"How cliché." Matsumi muttered under her breath as she finished wrapping her kimono up into a small cylinder shaped roll.

"You're the one who wants a fairytale wedding." A deep baritone voice interrupted her thoughts, as Ryuuken landed next to her; careful not to splash her.

"Ha." Matsumi timidly laughed, as she tried hiding her over-exposed body behind the rolled up kimono. "Yeah I suppose."

"…" Carefully observing her out of the corner of his eye, Ryuuken inwardly smirked at the girl's obvious discomfort.

He knew it wasn't often he was able to see the fearless kunoichi blush; so it was a pleasant sight he fully intended to enjoy. The fact that she was nearly nude, didn't go unnoticed either, but it was the rarely seen pink hue that brushed her cheekbones, that truly captivated his attention.

"Hn." Ryuuken half-smiled.

"What's so funny?" Matsumi demanded.

"Nothing." Ryuuken replied; shaking his head softly. "Here." He handed her a bag to put her dress in, which she slowly took.

"Thanks." Matsumi replied; grateful for the assistance, as well as for Ryuuken averting his eyes, to preserve her current need for modesty.

"Shall we go princess?" Ryuuken uncharacteristically teased; crouching down away from the kunoichi, to offer her his back to climb on to.

"Hn!" Matsumi indignantly smacked the back of his head, before climbing on as requested; her dress safely in the bag he'd handed her. "How very _charming_."

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**_**TBC…  
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**_**A/N**: I was tempted end this at the "waiting for her prince to rescue her" line, but… me being me, I just had to add the "How cliché" line (Matsumi voicing my own sarcastic sentiment about the damsel in distress theme)… I would have cut this off to allow the reader to imagine whatever scenario they wanted to imagine when Ryuuken and Matsumi met, but I figured it would be more fun for me, and I'm sure the readers would appreciate it as well… but feel free to imagine your own scenario to that scene as well… And why not write about it in a review? **XP**


	12. A NEW New Beginning

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**: It's the last chapter, and the LONGEST… hope you like it :D Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing this story. I'm so glad you all enjoyed my Original Characters. They were a lot of fun to do.

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

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**_**A NEW NEW BEGINNING  
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Hitori slumped down in his chair, feeling more and more pathetic as he glanced around the lively reception hall.

After the initial missing bride set-back, the rest of the wedding had gone on without a hitch; much to Matsumi's great pleasure.

The happy couple was married amongst many cheers and happy cries of joy (as well as plenty of fanboy/fangirl tears). Following the _very_ traditional Hyuga wedding ceremony (held on a man-made grassy beach shoreline that the bride had requested), the guests all moved to the resort's ballroom to continue the festivities.

For nearly an hour, the happy couple and the rest of their friends laughed and cheered, and danced together. And all this, Hitori watched from the sidelines.

"haah." He sighed loudly as he watched his mother and father dance along side Matsumi and Ryuuken.

Matsumi's parent's, along with the Hokage and his wife, and the rest of the so-called 'Konoha 11' were also dancing along side the happy couple; though, some less willingly than others.

"Ha." Hitori smirked as he noted the aggravated look on Nara Shikamaru's face as his wife, Temari, dragged him across the dance floor, while Akimichi Chika did the same with poor Shinemuri.

It seemed as if finally, the lazy Nara boy had managed to build up the courage to let Chika ask him to the wedding. From the triumphant look on the blond girl's face, Hitori could tell his best friend had not put up much resistance; not that he would have wanted to, given that Shinemuri had been in love with Chika since as far back as Hitori could remember.

"…" Hitori smiled.

He was happy for his best-friend. But seeing the happy couples, as he looked through the room, reminded Hitori how truly alone he was. Worst still, now that Ryuuken was married, he knew everything else would inevitable change, and the feeling of loneliness that now followed him everywhere, would simply continue to grow.

"Haah." Hitori sighed again.

To his right, he could see his cousin Inuzuka-Hyuga Kenji sitting with his girlfriend Naien; a cute little red-head with bright green eyes and a bubbly personality. To their right, Naien's goth-obsessed twin sister Nekura, and Yori (who had been dating her for over two years) quietly chatted about something or other. On Kenji's other side, his twin sister Atsui and long-time boyfriend, Aburame Hisoka, quietly chatted as Rock Emi stood up to drag Uzumaki Sasuke out to dance.

Already busy on the dance floor, Hitori saw Jiraiya suggestively flirted with a blue-haired kunoichi known as Naishin. It was an odd pairing, he thought, since Naishin was perhaps one of the more serious, deep thinking, girls Hitori had ever met; while Jiraiya, though not a complete idiot as Ryuuken often suggested, was hardly what one would consider 'deep thinking'.

Dancing next to Jiraiya and Naishin, Hitori was even more surprised to see Minato with a medic-nin named Akarui; a cheerful, somewhat ordinary looking, strawberry-blond, who Hitori had often seen working alongside Sakura in the emergency room.

Seeing Jiraiya, who had always been a bit of a player, dating one girl after another (though Hitori was aware he was not really in the position to judge), with another girl didn't really surprise Hitori. Minato, on the other hand, was far less fickle in his devotion to the violet-eyed kunoichi. It was odd to see him attentively focusing on any other girl but Mayuki. But it wasn't so much seeing Minato with another girl that surprised Hitori; next to him and Ryuuken, Minato had about the largest fangirl base in Konoha. What surprised him most was that, in all the years Jiraiya and Minato had professed to be in love with Mayuki, Hitori had never seen Minato even remotely interested in any other girl. But this time, as he danced along side Akarui, it seemed like Minato were actually enjoying himself.

"Huh." Hitori turned his attention to Mayuki, wondering if perhaps something had occurred to make Minato finally give up on the possibility of his ever having a chance with the Hyuga girl. "There doesn't seem to be anything unusual." Hitori thought out loud.

From where he was sitting, Hitori could see Mayuki situated between her two teammates; Nao to her right, and Akimichi Izuma, along with his pink-haired girlfriend Majime, on her left.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Mayuki." Nao's mouth moved to indicate to Hitori that he had called out to the girl.

"Yes?" Mayuki replied; smiling over at the shaggy haired taijutsu user.

"May I speak with you?" Nao asked; or, at least, that was what Hitori could make out from the movement of younger boy's lips, before Mayuki nodded and the two teammates stood to leave the noisy reception hall.

Finding nothing else of interest in the room, Hitori decided to follow his little sister and the Rock boy out into the gardens on the north side of the resort. His overprotective side was urging him to get in between the two, but at the same time, after the incident in the study room and speaking with Mayuki on the beach, his curiosity really wanted to see what would happen next.

"What is it Nao?" Mayuki asked as the two teammates reached the small wooden bench in the center of the garden.

Hitori stealthily positioned himself behind a large rosebush; waiting to see how the boy would reply to the violet-eyed kunoichi.

When Nao had come into the study, shortly after Mayuki had passed out due to her forced vision, Hitori had noted how tender the look in the boy's eyes was, while looking at the kunoichi. Though it was small, that simple gesture somewhat softened the younger 'Terror Twin's' heart toward the shaggy-haired shinobi; though, perhaps, not nearly enough to say he thought the boy deserving of being with his little sister; but that was another matter at the moment…

"I wanted to tell you something." Nao hesitantly began; a look of fear clearly marked in his eyes, though he seemed to be trying his best not to let it beat him.

"Yeah?" Mayuki replied; waiting expectantly for what he would say next.

"I-I…" Nao nervously looked down at his feet, as he attempted to steady his voice; while he sat, bent over his lap with both elbows on each knee.

"Nao?" Mayuki slid closer on the bench toward the boy; putting her right hand reassuringly over his two clasped hands as he held them between his knees.

"…" Nao turned to the face the girl; a light flush coloring his features as his eyes shimmered in a slight hint of moisture.

They remained like that for a moment; both staring silently into each other's eyes, trying to read the other's thoughts.

"Thank you." She timidly whispered after a few minutes of still silence.

"…" Nao's brow creased in confusion.

"For what you said back then." Mayuki explained.

"What…" His confusion not remedied. "What did I say?"

"It wasn't so much what you said…" Mayuki explained; a look of joy and admiration hidden beneath a soft blush.

"…" Nao waited for her to continue; wondering what it could have been that he said to have her look so blushingly touched.

"You know me so well…" Mayuki quietly continued. "Even without me saying it, you knew how I felt all along."

In an instant, Hitori could see the boy had understood what Mayuki was saying. She was referring, of course, to the fact that Nao had known, when no one else had, how Mayuki felt about her self-perceived inferiority in regards to her two Kekkei Genkai. Whether the weaker level of her Byakugan and Yochigan really made her Kekkei Genkai inferior was a matter up for debate; but, it had been clear to Hitori, and everyone else in the room, that Nao didn't believe it at all.

Neither did Hitori, for that matter.

Though her bloodline limits may have been at a weaker state than most pure Byakugan or Yochigan eyes, Mayuki had the privilege of possessing both, as well as the determination and skill to be able to wield and, eventually, master them both. Regardless of the strength in them, Hitori was certain her ability to use both would more than make up for whatever limitation she may or may not possess.

He knew that; everyone knew that. It was only a shame Mayuki didn't…

"Of course I knew." Nao interrupted Hitori's thoughts as the two teammates continued talking. "I know everything about you." Nao's confidence seemed to be building as he continued talking. "I know your favorite color is gold, because it reminds you of the flecks in your mother's eyes; your favorite food is Unagi (1), because it's the only non-microwavable food you know how to cook; your favorite flowers are tulips, because you think they're pretty but have no scent so having them around would never bother anyone, which is what you least like to do. Though I don't think it's possible that you could ever bother anyone." He paused to smile reassuringly at the kunoichi. "I know you love night time because the moon reminds you of your brothers' and father's eyes; you love the mountains, more than the ocean, because you secretly desire to fly as free as a bird." He paused; a serious look in his eyes as he spoke next. "I also know that you are scared that you might never measure up to your brothers; but you don't realize you're stronger than you think…" Nao paused again. "And…" His voice slightly broke as he lifted his head from having momentarily turned it downward. "And…" He turned to look directly into the girl's eyes. "I know… that you're the most kindhearted, sincere, beautiful and wonderful person I've ever known…"

The voice in Hitori's head (that, interestingly enough, sounded an awful lot like his father Neji), told him it was time to step in. He knew what was coming next, and though Nao's sincere honesty did touch the younger Hyuga twin, some things (like a conditioned response that one had learned since childhood) were difficult to defy…

"Wait." An arm firmly blocked the Hyuga's path, as Hitori prepared himself to interrupt the two teammates.

"Hn?" Hitori stared questioningly at the owner of the arm that stood in his path. "Minato?" He eyed the younger man as the blond smoothly raised his finger to his lips; indicating for them to remain silent and listen.

"Nao…" An indefinable expression marred the kunoichi's face. It looked to be a cross between joy, confusion and embarrassment.

"Please," Nao lifted his hand up to stop her from speaking. "Let me finish."

"Okay." Mayuki wearily nodded; waiting for him to continue.

"I…" Nao took a deep breath; his nerves clearly at the point of getting to him. "Mayuki…" He paused to take her hands in his, before turning to look straight into the kunoichi's violet eyes as he spoke. "I like you."

"I like you too Nao, you're my -" Mayuki began.

"I have for the past eight years." Nao uncharacteristically interrupted the girl before she could say anything to dissuade him from continuing. "You are the first and last thing I think about every day. Your smile gives me courage and strength; while your tears, feelings of helplessness because I don't know how to make them go away. Your laugh is intoxicating; your hard work and determination, inspirational." He paused to steady his now quivering voice. "You're the most beautiful person I've ever met… You're caring and understanding; and your desire to make sure everyone is taken care of and happy… that's what makes you so beautiful in my eyes. I love spending time with you. You make my life happier…" At this, Nao's voice began to break as he continued in his confession; unsure of what the unwavering smile on Mayuki's face might mean. "I…I love you."

A deafening silence fell upon the pair, as Hitori and Minato watched from behind the large rosebush, waiting to see what Mayuki's answer would be.

The smile on her face had disappeared; though they couldn't be sure from her expression whether that was good or bad news for the shaggy haired shinobi. Her face, which was usually well-trained in concealing her inner thoughts, was completely unreadable as Mayuki processed the three little words Nao had spoken.

"Nao… I-" Mayuki hesitantly began; her eyes downcast so that her bangs covered her face.

"You don't have to reply." Nao rushedly cut in; before the girl could say anything to break his heart. "I don't expect you to have an answer." He began. "I merely wished for you to know how I fe-"

Before he could finish, the shaggy haired boy was cut off by a surprisingly bold Mayuki; who, unable to speak how she felt herself, had quickly closed the small distance between the two teammates, and pressed her lips softly against Nao's.

"I love you too." A red-faced Mayuki timidly admitted, as she shyly eyed the straps of her sandals; too embarrassed to face the boy she had just kissed.

"…" Hitori, taken completely by surprise by his normally bashful little sister making the first move, stared dumfounded at the pair.

"Hn." Minato turned to avert his eyes from the now smiling couple.

"You okay with that?" Hitori asked the blond shinobi; wondering whether Minato's earlier interference, along with the fact that he was at the wedding with another girl, meant that he actually supported Mayuki dating Nao.

"Are you?" Minato evaded the question.

"Hn." Hitori quickly eyed the dance floor. "It could have been worst."

"Ha." Minato smirked as he followed Hitori's gaze toward his younger brother Jiraiya, who was still suggestively flirting with the blue-haired Naishin.

"For what it's worth," Hitori began; turning back to face Minato. "I never thought you were so bad for her."

"…" Minato meekly smiled back at the younger 'Terror Twin'. "Too bad she didn't think so too." He replied; nodding his head over to where Mayuki and Nao were still seated on the small bench.

"Hn." Hitori nodded understandingly.

"At least your sensei should be happy." Minato commented, upon seeing Rock Lee with his wife, Harumi, dancing enthusiastically dancing along side Neji and Tenten.

"Yeah." Hitori laughingly nodded. "Though… we probably shouldn't tell Ryuu or my father yet." He added, after seeing the new couple walk, hand in hand, deeper into the expansive rose garden.

"Hai." Minato agreed. "I think that would be wise."

"…" Hitori smirked. Yes, it would definitely be a bad idea to tell Ryuuken or their father about Nao.

Though he wasn't all too happy with the arrangement himself, Hitori was more willing than the others to accept that Mayuki wasn't a child anymore; and, though still somewhat reluctant to accept the fact, he knew they weren't going to be able to protect her from the world forever.

"Haah." Hitori sigh. "I'm going for a walk." He mumbled to himself, before leaving Minato standing alone behind the rosebush.

He needed to get away from things.

Even before witnessing Nao's confession of love, Hitori had been feeling unusually depressed. He had already expected things to change with Ryuuken getting married, but seeing Mayuki and Nao, it seemed as if everything else was going to change as well.

"Haah." Hitori sighed again, as he walked out toward the beach.

Reaching the shoreline, he decided to sit down, figuring that now that the wedding was over, it was probably safe enough to take his shoes off and sit on the sandy beach, without worrying that Matsumi might strangle him for ruin her perfect memory. Staring out into the crashing waves, the tranquil sea unable to calm his spirit, Hitori wondered what the future might bring.

Change was inevitable.

He was certain of that; and in fact expected it. But it didn't make the loneliness in his heart any less painful.

With everyone else finding their one true love, Hitori was beginning to think it might never happen to him; or worst, that it already had, but he'd missed his chance that day, long ago, when he'd seen the auburn-haired girl at the Konoha-Suna festival and lost his chance to chase after and speak with her.

_.:..:..:..:..:.:..:..:..FLASHBACK..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:._

"_Hi-Hi-Hi-tan!" nine-year-old Mayuki breathlessly giggled as her thirteen-year-old brother mercilessly tickled the girl outside the Ichiraku Ramen stand. "S-st-stop it!" She pushed the older boy away; small tears trickling down her cheeks from all her laughing._

"_Yu-Yu's so cute when she cries!" Hitori wickedly smirked at his blushing little sister as Mayuki tired to catch her breath._

"_You-you're so mean, Hi-tan!" Mayuki pouted; catching her breath as the older boy gently patted the petite girl's head. "Where's Ryuu?" She asked, upon realizing that the brother who had surprise-tickle-attacked her, had arrived at her side uncharacteristically alone._

"_Dunno." Hitori shrugged; scanning the surrounding area as he spoke. "Where's Kenji and Atsui-chan?" He asked; noticing that the girl was also not with the two eight-year-old's who had supposedly accompanied her to the festivities._

"_We got separated." Mayuki said of her two twin cousins._

"_Yeah, Ryuu and did too." Hitori informed her. "I think Matsumi-chan may have kidnapped him." He smirked as he laughed at the very real possibility his twin brother may have been snatched away by the very determined Nara girl._

"_hehehe." Mayuki giggled. "Should we go look for them?" She asked._

"_Nah." Hitori shook his head. "Kenji and Atsui-chan will be fine together, and I don't think Ryuu minds being stalked by Matsumi-chan as much as he says he does." _

"_hehe." Mayuki continued giggling in amusement at her older brother's funny comments. "I guess you're right." She agreed; nodding her head enthusiastically. "What should we do then?" The violet-eyed kunoichi asked her older brother as the two began walking down the crowded dirt path._

"_How about the two of us just en-" Hitori stopped mid-step; his eyes staring off into the distance._

_In front of them, amongst the crowd of hundreds of festival patrons, the most beautiful girl Hitori had ever seen was picking out a prize, out of target practice booth positioned no more than twenty meters in front of them._

_Who was she? He wondered, as the red-headed girl slowly disappeared behind the crowd._

_For a moment, Hitori wondered if he'd really seen the girl at all, or if she'd merely been a figment of his imagination. She had looked to be around his age; perhaps a bit younger. Her short, dark-red hair made her stand out, but it was the piercing green eyes that had briefly locked with Hitori's as he looked in her direction, which caused shivers to run up and down his spin. _

"_Who was she?" Hitori quietly mumbled as he stared in the direction where the girl had been. _

"_Who?" A familiar deep voice from behind Hitori and Mayuki asked._

"_Ryuu!" Mayuki smilingly greeted her eldest older brother. "Matsumi-chan." She smiled in greeting to the older kunoichi._

"_Hello Mai-chan. Hi-san." Matsumi greeted; her left arm forcefully linked to Ryuuken's right. "So who were you talking about?" Matsumi asked Hitori._

"_No one." Hitori shook his head; already having lost sight of the girl he'd seen._

_.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..END FLASHBACK.:..:..:..:..:..:..:.._

She had been beautiful, but it was the strength in her eyes… and something else… something about her that had captivated the thirteen-year-old Hitori. He had looked everywhere for her; determined that she was the girl he was destined to be with. Ten years later, he had still not found her, yet that moment was permanently etched into his memory; unwilling to let him notice any other girl, because none of them even remotely measured up to the red-headed girl he had fallen in love with at first sight.

"Haah." Hitori sighed; momentarily closing his eyes in frustrated hopelessness before turning back up to face the raging sea. "Maybe I should just give-" He stopped mid-sentence as he looked far into the distance; an eerie familiarity fell upon the white-eyed shinobi as the silhouette of an unknown girl slowly came walking down the beach toward where Hitori was sitting.

He couldn't be certain, but the girl, no, woman… and the hair… the familiar aura of strength and fire, that had lured him in, ten years earlier, seemed to be emanating from the figure of the woman who was now slowly approaching him.

Could it be?...

Hitori carefully eyed the woman in the light green dress walking barefoot along the beach shore. Though he could barely make out her face, the dark-red hue of her short-cropped hair was unmistakable.

It had to be her….

"It must be." Hitori determinedly stated, as he stood to walk over to the woman in question; unwilling to let what happened ten years earlier repeat its self once more.

"Hitori!" A loud yell called out to the younger 'Terror Twin' as Hitori began walking toward the red-headed woman. "Hitori!" Akimichi Chika stepped in front of the Hyuga; a look of irritation on her face as she realized he had just ignored her earlier call.

"Shinemuri. Chika-san." Hitori greeted the two new arrivals, as the lazy Nara calmly walked up next to the blond Akimichi.

"What is it?" Hitori asked; staring past his two friends as he kept his eyes firmly planted on the woman in the green dress.

After explaining to Hitori that they had come to call him in to give the best-man speech, Chika turned to look over her shoulder; attempting to figure out what it was the younger 'Terror Twin' was looking at. "What you doing out here anyway?" She asked as her eyes scanned the surrounding area.

"Nothing." Hitori lied. "I just thought I saw someone I knew…"

"Hn." Shinemuri followed his best-friend's gaze down the shoreline. "So it _was_ her…" He quietly mused.

"Huh?" Hitori turned to face the lazy genius, wondering if Shinemuri knew the girl with red hair.

"Are you guy's talking about Tsuzaku-chan?" Chika squinted her eyes to get a better look at the girl.

"You know her?" Hitori amazedly asked the blond girl.

"Yeah." Chika nodded. "But… how do _you_ know her?" She asked the pleased looking Hyuga.

"I… I don't." Hitori admitted. "Not really."

"He saw her from a distance ten years ago at a Konoha-Suna festival." Shinemuri uninterestedly explained.

"You…" Hitori began; turning to his best friend, pleased, yet a bit ticked off that Shinemuri had always known who the girl was. "You knew it was her all along?" He questioned his younger friend; making a mental note to pay Shinemuri back for having kept that secret to himself, knowing that Hitori had been searching for her for so long.

"I suspected." Shinemuri admitted. "But I wasn't sure because we thought she hadn't shown up to the festival."

"Ah…" Chika smiled as she began piecing together everything in his head. "So that's why…" She trailed off; finally understanding why Hitori went from girl to girl, searching for the one who got away. "Well you certainly know how to pick them." She wickedly smirked at the white-eyed shinobi.

"What do you mean?" Hitori asked the blond kunoichi.

"From what I've heard," Chika began. "Compared to Tsuzaku-chan's admirers, Mayuki-chan's fanboys have it easy." She stated with an evil glint in her eyes.

Hitori was curious as to what the blond could possibly mean by her statement. Could it be that Tsuzaku was that difficult to get close to? What could possibly be more terrible than having to face him and Ryuuken, or worst, Neji?

"Does that mean she's single?" Hitori wondered aloud.

"Oh, she's single alright." Chika wickedly snickered. "In fact, I don't think she's ever had a serious boyfriend." She teasingly smiled.

"Why's that?" Hitori curiously asked.

"Well, let's just say…" Chika smirked at the shinobi. "People don't call her the 'Fury of Suna' just because of her flaming hair." Chika shook her head. "She's a very dangerous girl to set your sights on."

"That doesn't matter." Hitori replied as he eyed the red-haired kunoichi; sure enough of himself that he wouldn't be like all the other guys who had fallen in their quest to win the girl's heart. He was, after all, one half of Konoha's 'Terror Twins'. There was no way he would fail; though he was beginning to wonder just exactly who Tsuzaku really was.

"Your funeral." Chika teased, as Hitori began walking past them toward the kunoichi walking barefoot on the beach.

"…" Hitori stopped walking momentarily, to turn questioningly toward the pair. "What do you mean?" He asked cautiously.

"Simply put…" Chika warningly began. "Aside from Tsuzaku-chan's fiery personality…You'll have a difficult time getting past her father."

"…" Hitori waited to see what more the blond had to say; doubtful that any man could be more terrifying that his father Neji, when it came to protecting his daughter.

"Actually," Shinemuri began; almost as if reading the doubt painted on Hitori's face. "Uncle Gaara is very protective of his only daughter."

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**_**THE END  
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**_FOOTNOTES:  
(1) Is freshwater eel, which is used a lot in Japanese cuisine.

**A/N**: Hehehe… what do you all think of the end? I was a little unsure of the transition into the Hitori-Tsuzaku stuff, and the ending isn't quite an ending so much as it is a NEW new beginning (hence the title), but I'm content… I hope you all liked the ending, and thank you again for reading this story; I'm so glad it was so well liked.

Before anyone asks (though someone already did in the last chapter), there will **not** be another part to this series. I think it's gone one long enough. I want to concentrate on other story ideas.

Thank you again, everyone for reading this story and especially for those of you who were kind enough to review, and LOTS of thanks to everyone whose been reading and reviewing the series from the start (WIND AND DRAGON and FIVE NOBLE CLANS). I hope to see you all in future stories.

I'm going to be focusing on my NejiTen oneshot collection for a while, but then I'll be starting on a new story about a new OC (Koudo; Tenten's overprotective big brother). **XD **Hope to see you all in the future; THANKS!!!!

**PS**…_ remember I have profiles with pictures of every OC mentioned in this Story, and relationship chart and a family tree… be sure to check them out on my profile page! oh, and while you're there, if you could please vote for your favorite male and female OC on my profile... thanks XD and don't forget to review!_

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**EDIT: though I said I wouldn't I've decided I'm going to do one last story to this series... it's JUST a ONESHOT... which will be added to my NejiTen oneshot collection (the one with the most chapters... you can't miss it on my profile)... it'll center mostly just around Nao and Mayuki, but will have some mention of the Hitori-Tsuzaku relationship... but it's going to mostly be around Neji and Tenten... as in Neji playing the role of Ryoku from the first chapter of this series... i'll add a chapter at the end of this to let all those who have the story on alert, know when the chapter is up on **1S: NxT**...  
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	13. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**: Hi! Yes, I know the last chapter was the _last_ chapter… but because of all the wonderful feedback (and one person who shall remain nameless, saying that it was disappointing that thee story ended where it ended… which kind of hurt my feelings, but I could understand), I decided to write another chapter… an Epilogue… it took me a while cos I kind of got a bad case of writers block, but I finished it… I hope you enjoy it; though I still kind of preferred the pervious chapter's ending…

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

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**_**EPILOGUE  
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"Remind me to say no, next time you ask me to come to Suna with you." Shinemuri irritably stated as he and Hitori hurriedly leapt from tree to tree on their way back home from the sand village.

"Hey." Hitori stopped, mid-stride; before turning back on the tree branch he'd landed on, to face the lazy Nara. "You owe me for having known who Tsuzaku-chan was the whole time and never telling me." The younger Hyuga twin reminded his best friend.

"Tch." Shinemuri scoffed. He had already tried explaining to the Hyuga, that he had never _really_ known that it was his cousin Tsuzaku, who Hitori had seen that day at the festival. The description of the girl, as well as the fact that she disappeared without a trace, from a Konoha festival with Suna, had given Shinemuri reason to believe it was the flame-haired daughter of the Kazekage; but he had never been certain. "Probably saved your life…" He mumbled under his breath as he ran past Hitori.

"What was that?" The Hyuga questioned; apparently having not heard what the irritated Nara had said. Shinemuri was sure if his friend had, he probably wouldn't have looked as blissfully calm as he did at that moment.

"Hn." The Nara grunted. "Whatever." He dully replied. "I don't know why you go through all this trouble though." He added before following Hitori's signal to drop down to the forest floor to begin a brisk walk. "Sooner or later uncle Gaara is going to figure out why you keep visiting Suna. Is it really worth facing your death for a woman who keeps rejecting you each and every time?" Shinemuri pointedly asked; grateful for the break in their nonstop running; even if it was just going to be the usual five minutes.

"…" Hitori scratched his chin as he considered his friend's words. "She almost said yes this time." He optimistically pointed out.

"Tch." Shinemuri scoffed again; rolling his eyes in disbelief at his friend's unrealistic confidence. "After how many months?" He asked with a hint of cynicism.

"Doesn't matter how long it takes." Hitori unworriedly replied. "Eventually I'll win her over." He confidently asserted.

"And then?" Shinemuri questioned; certain he didn't need to elaborate on what he was referring to.

"Then…" Hitori began. "Then, I'll no longer need you to distract your uncle for me." He smirked as he noticed Shinemuri's back stiffen upon hearing his reply.

"You're really going to face him?" Shinemuri disbelievingly asked.

"When the time is right." Hitori nodded.

"And that will be…?" Shinemuri pressed; inwardly hoping that his continued questioning might distract Hitori from realizing that their five minute break had already passed.

"As soon as she agrees to marry me." Hitori smilingly replied.

The wide smile on his friend's face told Shinemuri that the Hyuga felt certain, when the time came, he would be more than capable enough to deal with the intimidating Kazekage; but Shinemuri doubted his friend had yet realized the full extent of how overprotective the red-headed Sand-Kage could truly be, when it came to his precious daughter. Nonetheless, Shinemuri knew his best friend well enough to realize that nothing he could ever say would stop him once he had set his mind to something…

"Haah." Shinemuri sighed. "Just be careful…" He whisperingly added.

"Huh?" Hitori turned, again, to face the lazy shinobi; who had fallen behind as they briskly walked through the forest floor. "You say something?"

"Nah." Shinemuri shook his head. "Hey…" The lazy Nara reluctantly called out as he leapt toward the nearest tree branch. "Weren't we supposed to be in some kind of hurry or something?" He changed the subject; getting tired of imagining how horribly dead his friend was bound to get himself, if he continued chasing after the troublesome daughter of the Kazekage.

"huh…?" Hitori stared confused at his friend. The glazed look on his face, (indicating to Shinemuri that the Hyuga had been thinking about Tsuzaku again), had slowly began disappearing. "OH YEAH!" Hitori jumped excitedly. "We've got to go!" He exclaimed, before leaping to the nearest branch ahead of Shinemuri and taking off running toward Konoha.

"Haah." Shinemuri sighed again. "Troublesome."

**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**

"No, wait! Gai-sensei! Lee!" Tenten ran toward the two green beasts, as her former teammate and sensei began moving two giant ice sculptures into the middle of Neji and Tenten's backyard. "They're fine where they are." Tenten exclaimed, as she attempted to stop the insane duo from 'assisting' her.

"Those two never change, do they?" A teasing voice from behind Neji called his attention away from his wife and former teammates.

"Oushi-san, Tereya-san." Neji startledly greeted the newly arrived couple; surprised to see them home early, from their most recent honeymoon adventure. "You made it."

"Well," Oushi smirked. "We couldn't miss Mai-chan's twenty-first birthday party, now could we?"

"Hai." Neji nodded. "Thank you for coming." He gratefully smiled at his guests. "Please," Neji began gesturing for the couple to follow him in, when a sudden chill ran up and down his spine, as a large shadow abruptly covered him from behind. "…" Neji visibly stiffened; knowing full well whose shadow that belonged to.

"ehehe." Oushi softly chuckled. "Looks like Gai and Lee aren't the only ones who never change." He quietly whispered toward his blue-haired wife.

"Oushi-sempai. Tereya-san." The looming shadow greeted his former teammates, before turning his attention toward the white-eyed ANBU Head. "Hyuga?" Ryoku addressed the younger man.

"Yes?" Neji turned to face his intimidating father-in-law.

"Where is my granddaughter?" Ryoku asked the white-eyed shinobi, as Neji attempted to recompose himself.

"She will be arriving momentarily." Neji informed the retired-shinobi.

"Someone was charged with distracting her during the preparations?" Ryoku inquired, as he looked around the crowded garden, observing everyone the kunoichi knew assembled; ready to jump out and surprise the girl as soon as she arrived back at the house.

"Hai." Neji nodded. "Her teammates arrived early this morning to take her away." He replied; following Ryoku's eyes as he scanned the surrounding crowd.

"I see one of her teammates has already arrived." Ryoku indicated toward the spiky-haired Akimichi boy, as Izuma stood beside his pink-haired girlfriend, patiently waiting along with the rest of the crowd for Mayuki to arrive.

"So it seems." Neji replied; slightly wondering why Izuma had arrived earlier than Nao and Mayuki.

"Hn." Ryoku scrutinizingly observed his son-in-law, as Neji attempted to conceal his agitation by taking a sip of the glass of water in his hand. "Is she dating the Rock boy?" Ryoku asked; breaking the short silence that had fallen upon the pair.

"…" The glass of water Neji had been holding in his hand fell crashing down onto the cement floor, shattering into tiny pieces as the younger man remained frozen in place from the shock of his father-in-law's blunt questioning. The sound of the crashing glass, silenced the crowd and turned their attention toward the pair, as Neji and Ryoku stood face to face in a near parallel moment to that which they had had many years ago when Neji first met the intimidating man.

"Mom, dad, I'm home!" Mayuki yelled out as she walked through the doors directly behind her father and grandfather.

The white-eyed man broke from his trance to quickly face the young kunoichi. "You're dating my daughter?" Neji incredulously addressed the startled Nao; who seemed to have forgotten to let go of Mayuki's hand, before the two walked into the backyard.

"Ahh…" The poor boy stiffened at the utter shock of seeing the expression on the quickly enraging ANBU Head's face; as well as the unexpected question. "umm…" Nao nervously began backing away, as he noticed the elder Hyuga and a now, equally enraged Ryuuken, both menacingly approaching him.

"Nao." Mayuki tightened her grip on the boy's hand, in what he had, at first, assumed to be support and encouragement. "Run." She whispered, before tugging at his hand and pulling him up to the rooftop with her. Instantly, the two took off running as fast they couple possibly go.

"GET BACK HERE!" Neji and Ryuuken yelled out in unison, before both of them jumped up onto the rooftop; quickly following after the runaway couple.

"Mayuki-san and Nao?" Lee disbelievingly rejoiced; falling into Gai's arms, in exaggerated tears of joy.

"Oh my dear students… first Neji-kun and Tenten-san," Gai tearfully began. "Now…" He chocked on the sentimentality of the revelation that all his students would soon be a true family.

"Oh lord." Tenten rolled her eyes in disbelief, at the sight of her former teammate and sensei's antics, as well as Neji and Ryuuken's overprotective behavior.

"KAITEN!" Neji and Ryuuken were overheard shouting from a distance; almost in unison.

"hahaha." Hitori burst into laughter from besides Matsumi and Shinemuri.

"What, you're not going to join them?" Matsumi asked; as if it was the most natural thing in the world to see her husband and father-in-law chasing off one of Mayuki's suitors, (which is was).

"Nah." Hitori shook his head as he continued laughing at the unfolding scene.

"Why not?" Matsumi asked; curious as to why the younger 'Terror Twin' wasn't living up to his former reputation.

"He already knew they were dating." Shinemuri uninterestedly responded for his friend.

"mhm." Hitori nodded in acknowledgement. "For about two years now." He added.

"And you're okay with that?" Matsumi stood astonished at the revelation; wondering if perhaps that meant someday Ryuuken would also outgrow his insistent need to protect his beloved baby sister (something which Matsumi worried might carry over toward their own child).

"Ah, don't worry." Hitori reassuringly smiled, upon seeing the blond kunoichi's right hand fall protectively over her growing midsection. "I don't think Ryuu will have enough overprotective jealousy left for anyone after Yu-yu." He remarked. "Then again…" He activated his Byakugan to see his father and brother fighting against Nao from a distance; the younger boy actually seemed to be putting up a good fight, though Hitori doubted it would last very long. "Hopefully, it's a boy though." Hitori smirked playfully.

"Sure," Matsumi scoffed; rolling her eyes as (what seemed like) an explosive tag went off in the distance. "Just what we need, another terrorizing little Hyuga boy…" She replied; rubbing her pregnant belly… hoping dearly for the child she carried to be a girl.

"Considering the parent's, I doubt it would make a difference." Shinemuri quietly remarked under his breath. "Haah. Troublesome." He sighed.

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**_**THE END  
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**_**A/N**: Eh… not sure if the ending was exactly any better than the pervious chapter… but at least I dealt with some of the issues people were asking about… anyway, Thanks again for all the reviews and the favorites… I was going to add more on the Nao and Mayuki relationship, but you know what, I thought it was a fitting ending to have Neji and Ryoku face off against one another one last time… and did anyone notice the parallel in that breaking glass scene?...

I'll make no promises, but I might, possibly, do a Nao and Mayuki oneshot in my NejiTen collection, but not for a long long time… I want to put this story to rest for the time being… Thanks again to everyone for reading and reviewing… **XD**


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